Baghdad, Jul 2 (IANS): The Iraqi military said Tuesday that three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in an airstrike carried out the day before in the eastern province of Diyala.

Based on intelligence reports, the Iraqi warplanes carried out an airstrike on Monday on an IS hideout in the al-Adhaim area in the northern part of the province, destroying the hideout and killing all the militants inside, according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

The statement stated that earlier on Tuesday, an army force was sent to the scene and found three bodies, including the body of an IS leader, reported Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the killed IS leader is an Iraqi national and is wanted by the security forces for crimes of killing civilians and security personnel.

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