BAGHDAD - (Xinhua) - Iraqi warplanes targeted a den of militants of the so-called Islamic State ( ISIS ) in the northeast of the province, which led to their complete destruction, according to the Security Media Cell of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

The cell said in a statement today, Wednesday, "Our security units continue to pursue members of ISIS terrorist gangs, and with accurate information from the Directorate of Military Intelligence and with direct and continuous supervision from the Joint Operations Command, and with full use of the technical resources and follow-up of the targeting cell affiliated with the command, a den of terrorists was spotted in the Naryn area, northeast of the governorate." Diyala, there are about 10 terrorist elements inside them.

He added, "The Air Hawks targeted the two hideouts with (F-16) aircraft of the Air Force Command, and managed to destroy them completely on top of the terrorist elements."

In the same context, Muhammad al-Obaidi, a leader in the Tribal Mobilization Forces (Sunni fighters within the Popular Mobilization Forces), told Xinhua that the air force planes targeted a crane west of the village of Narin, south of Qara Taba region (110 km) northeast of the city of Baquba, the center of the province. Between 7 and 10 ISIS members are hiding in them with two direct strikes, pointing out that joint forces from the army, police and the popular crowd began imposing a tight security cordon around the bombing sites, which led to the complete destruction of the two dens, while no accurate information was available yet about the number of dead.

On December 9, 2017, Iraq announced the expulsion of the extremist organization's elements and the imposition of full control over all Iraqi lands, but the organization's sleeper cells are still active in several regions of the country.