Paramilitary forces seize 1,000 landmines in Iraq's Kirkuk

BAGHDAD, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces on Tuesday seized 1,000 landmines during an operation to clear Islamic State (IS) militants in the southwestern part of the oil-rich Kirkuk province, a military statement said.

Acting on intelligence reports, the government-backed Hashd Shaabi fighters cleared a cluster of villages around the town of al-Ryadh, about 55 km southwest of the city Kirkuk, and found a cache of ammunition and weapons, including 1,000 landmines, the statement said.

The Hashd Shaabi forces carried out another operation in the desert area in west of the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, and seized a car bomb-making site and hideouts for IS militants, the Hashd Shaabi said in a separate statement.

During the past few months, dozens of IS militants fled their former urban strongholds in Mosul, Salahudin province and Hawijah area in the west of Kirkuk after the Iraqi forces cleared these areas during major anti-IS offensives.

However, remnants of IS militants resorted to hideouts in rugged areas near the rivers of Tigris and Zab, as well as Himreen mountainous areas to continue their almost daily attacks against civilians and Iraqi forces.

On Dec. 9, 2017, 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 and individuals of IS militants regrouped in the rugged areas and are carrying out attacks against the security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down. Enditem