IS leader, 2 militants killed in airstrike in eastern Iraq

BAQUBA, Iraq, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- A local leader of Islamic State (IS) group and two of the group's militant were killed Friday in an airstrike in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial security source said.

Acting on intelligence reports, the Iraqi aircraft bombarded an IS hideout in Wadi Thlab area, some 90 km northeast of the provincial capital Baquab, destroying the hideout and killing the three militants, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Despite repeated military operations in Diyala province, remnants of IS militants were still hiding in rugged areas near the border with Iran, as well as the sprawling areas extending from western part of Diyala to Himreen mountainous area.

Dozens of IS militants fled their former bases in Salahudin province and Hawijah area in west of Kirkuk after the Iraqi forces cleared these areas from the extremist militants during anti-IS offensives in the past few months.

On December 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.

However, small groups of IS militants resorted to deserts and rugged areas looking for safe havens but the security forces are hunting them down from time to time. Enditem