BAGHDAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Five militants of the Islamic State (IS) group were killed on Tuesday in a security operation in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said.

Based on intelligence reports, the Iraqi army raided an IS hideout near a village in Nineveh province, leaving five would-be suicide bombers wearing explosive belts killed, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The troops seized the militants' weapons and destroyed the hideout, the statement said.

The operation came as the IS militants have intensified their attacks on the security forces and civilians in the formerly IS-controlled Sunni provinces, killing and wounding dozens of people.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, deadly incidents still occur sporadically in the war-ravaged country as IS remnants have since retreated into urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, waging frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem

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