BAGHDAD, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Tuesday during a government operation in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the government-backed Hashd Shaabi paramilitary forces said.
A joint force of the government army and Hashd Shaabi fighters killed the three IS militants after chasing them in a desert area west of the provincial capital Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, according to a statement by the media office of Hashd Shaabi.
Four Hashd Shaabi fighters were wounded in the operation, the statement said.
The force also seized a vehicle used by the extremist militants that contains explosive belts, weapons and ammunition, it added.
Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. ■
