8 IS terrorists killed in US-led coalition airstrikes in Iraq

At least eight Islamic State (IS) terrorists were killed on Saturday in airstrikes conducted by the US-led coalition aircraft in the central Iraqi province of Salahudin, the Iraqi military said.

Acting on an intelligence tip-off, a joint force from Salahudin's Operations Command, backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, conducted an operation to hunt down the IS terrorists in a desert area in the west of the provincial capital Tikrit, said a statement by the media office of the Joint Operations Command (JOC).

During the operation, the coalition aircraft pounded IS positions and killed the eight terrorists, while the troops destroyed four of their hideouts, of which one was booby-trapped, the statement said.

The terrorists were using the hideouts as warehouses for their various supplies.

According to the statement, the operation also resulted in the destruction of an IS shelter, three of their pick-up vehicles and a truck.

The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after the country's security forces fully defeated the extremist IS terrorists across the country late in 2017.

IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.