DUBAI, UAE - At least four alleged Islamic State (ISIS) militants, including a senior leader, were killed in an airstrike near Kirkuk, Iraqi security forces reported on Tuesday.

The operation, carried out based on the directive Commander-in-Chief, targeted an ISIS hideout in the Lilan area after "three days of surveillance," according to a statement from the

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement that the operation, carried out based on the directive of the country’s Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, targeted an ISIS hideout in southeast Kirkuk’s Laylan area after "three days of surveillance.”

“F-16 fighter jets launched two airstrikes late Monday night, hitting the hideout at around 11:30 pm,” read the statement, adding that a ground force from Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service inspected the area on Tuesday morning where they “found the bodies of four militants, including a high-ranking ISIS leader.”

Authorities are working to confirm the leader’s identity through further investigations. The strike also “destroyed weapons, communication devices, and logistical supplies.”

The operation is part of an ongoing effort to eliminate remaining ISIS elements in Iraq. Security forces have ramped up efforts in recent months and intensified their operations against suspected hideouts of the group, especially in Anbar, Nineveh, and Kirkuk.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, the militant group still poses a security threat and continues carrying out attacks in Iraq and Syria.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) in late september announced that “28 ISIS operatives, including at least four senior leaders” were killed in a “large-scale” airstrike on a remote ISIS training camp in central Syria