ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi security forces on Saturday announced the killing of at least five suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in airstrikes on alleged hideouts of the group in western Kirkuk.

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command conducted an operation “based on precise intelligence,” targeting an alleged ISIS hideout in Zgheitoun Valley, west of Kirkuk, with F-16 fighter jets, according to a statement from the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

Security forces investigated the location of the strike early Saturday and found the bodies of five ISIS suspects hours later inside the hideout, the statement added.

The forces also found and destroyed four rifles and two explosive belts, as well as six hand grenades, ammunition, communications equipment, and other logistical materials inside the hideout.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, ISIS militants continue to pose a security threat in Iraq through hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants, especially in provinces like Kirkuk, Anbar, and Nineveh, where ISIS cells remain active. 

Similar operations have been carried out across Iraq, as the military targets the group's hideouts and leadership in an ongoing campaign to maintain security and stability.

Four other ISIS suspects were killed in an operation in the same area last week.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani reiterated support for the security forces in their pursuit of ISIS remnants, stressing that “there is no place for terrorists in Iraq” and that armed forces will continue their operations until the country is “cleansed” from ISIS.