Iraqi special forces kill 14 IS militants in country's north

Iraqi special forces say they have conducted an operation near the northern city of Kirkuk in which they killed 14 members of the Islamic State group. A statement from Iraqi Counterterrorism Forces on Monday says that during the operation, Iraqi forces received support from warplanes of the US-led coalition.

The statement says the operation, just south of Kirkuk, lasted for two days and included Iraqi special forces rappelling from helicopters. Although Iraq declared victory against IS in July 2017, the extremists have since been trying to mount a guerrilla-style insurgency, going into hiding and staging surprise attacks in different parts of the country.