Iraqi forces launched a security operation in al-Hawijah, 55 kilometres west of Kirkuk, aimed at cracking down on militants in rural areas of the district, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said Tuesday (December 4th).
"A joint Iraqi army-Federal Police force has kicked off a new military operation to search al-Marzuq, al-Arabda, Ali al-Sultan, Shalaka, al-Moraba, Tal al-Dhahab, al-Qasamya, and Abu Sakhr villages, as well as rural and agricultural areas around al-Hawijah," the ministry said in a statement.
Two "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) hideouts have been found and fully destroyed and three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been blown up by the anti-explosives unit, it said.
Two tunnels also have been destroyed by the Iraqi army’s engineering units, it added.