ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – At least three senior members of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed in Palkana village, northern Kirkuk, on Sunday, in a joint operation between Iraqi counterterrorism forces and the Kurdistan Region’s internal security forces (Asayish).

The operation was carried out “based on accurate intelligence information and after setting up a tight ambush following continuous monitoring,” according to a statement from Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS).

Two of the militant group’s sector commanders as well as a battalion commander were killed in the operation.

The Asayish forces confirmed to The New Region that the group’s hideout was “completely destroyed” in the operation.

Seven years following the territorial defeat of ISIS, the Peshmerga and Iraqi armed forces routinely conduct joint operations to eliminate the group’s remnants. Most of the joint operations between have taken place in Kirkuk, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Nineveh provinces.  

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, ISIS militants continue to pose a security threat in Iraq through sporadic hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants.

Iraqi security forces arrested over 500 terror suspects in 2024, according to data from the Iraqi National Security Service.