ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Sunday that one of its personnel was killed during clashes with Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Kirkuk province, following a series of security operations targeting the group.

The agency identified the officer as Hassan Khudair Zughair, saying he was killed “during clashes with the terrorist ISIS gangs” and vowed that its forces “will spare no effort in cleansing our beloved land from the clutches of these terrorist gangs.”

The announcement came a day after Iraqi F-16 fighter jets struck ISIS hideouts in the Dibis district, northwest of Kirkuk, following several days of intelligence gathering, according to Iraq's Security Media Cell.

Also on Saturday, Iraqi security forces killed a suspected ISIS member in an ambush in the Bizeni district, northwest of Kirkuk, an informed source told The New Region.

Earlier last week, the CTS announced the arrest of three “terrorists” in Anbar, Mosul, and Sulaimani provinces.

Although ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, the group continues to pose a security threat through sporadic hit-and-run attacks and operations in remote areas. Iraqi security forces, often coordinating with Kurdish forces, have stepped up efforts to eliminate the group's remaining cells.

In May, Iraq's defense ministry announced that it had killed “several” alleged ISIS members during a security operation in Kirkuk and destroyed their hideouts, which are “used by terrorist groups as shelters and logistical support centers,” according to the ministry.

Earlier this year, Iraq received thousands of ISIS prisoners from Syria in coordination with Washington after turmoil caused by a January Syrian government offensive in Rojava (northeast Syria) raised concerns that detention facilities previously operated by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would be unable to maintain security.

In February, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had completed the transfer of more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraq.