8 cops killed in IS ambush in Iraq

At least eight police officers were killed in a suspected ambush by the terror outfit Islamic State (IS) at the Baghdad-Kirkuk highway on Saturday, according to a local police officer.

Diyala Police Captain Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency that the group ambushed the vehicle of the policemen, where they were later taken to a hill and shot dead.

Lieutenant Semir al-Hamidi added that the federal police and Hashd al-Shaabi forces have been sent to the area for an investigation following the incident.

Established in 2014, Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella group of pro-government Shia militias formed for tackling the IS.

In December last year, the Iraqi government declared that the group was completely "eliminated and decimated" from the country.

However, it appears that the IS maintains "sleeper cells" in parts of Iraq and Syria.