Baghdad, Jan 7 (IANS): Four Islamic State (IS) operatives were killed in airstrikes in Iraq's Diyala province, the Iraqi military said on Sunday.

As per the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, acting on intelligence reports, Iraqi warplanes carried out airstrikes late on Saturday night on IS hideouts in the Hawdh al-Waqf area, some 90 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Sunday, a security force team was dispatched to search the bombed hideouts and found the bodies of four IS operatives, along with destroyed weapons and other equipment, the statement said.

It added that Majeed Mayouf, the leader of the group in the area, was among the killed.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have melted into deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.