BAGHDAD, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces killed on Sunday three senior Islamic State (IS) militants in an operation in northern Iraq, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service said in a statement.

Acting on intelligence reports, counter-terrorism forces ambushed the militants and killed them in Kirkuk province, the statement said without giving further details about their exact location in the province.

It said that two of the militants were sector commanders, while the third was a battalion commander in the Kirkuk province.

The counter-terrorism service will continue to eliminate the remnants of terrorism in Iraq, the statement added.

While Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in urban areas, deserts, and remote regions. Enditem