KIRKUK: Iraqi forces said they killed 10 members of the Islamic State group in a tunnel near the city of Kirkuk on Saturday, the same day that the prime minister declared the war on IS over.
"Brigade 16 of the Hashed al-Shaabi found a tunnel on the outskirts of Rashad and killed 10 IS suicide bomber," the pro-government paramilitary group said in a statement, adding that armaments were recovered.
Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) units played a key role alongside Iraqi government forces in the battle against IS.
The capture of Rashad, south of the city of Kirkuk, was announced on October 2.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory Saturday in the three-year war to expel IS from Iraq, saying the jihadists had been routed from their last pockets on the border with Syria.
Hisham al-Hashemi, an expert on jihadist groups, warned however that IS still posed a threat by retaining arms caches in uninhabited desert zones.