Roadside bomb kills 3 policemen in northern Iraq

Three federal police officers were killed in a bomb explosion Saturday in Iraq’s northern Saladin province, according to an Iraqi police officer.

A police vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a mopping-up operation in a desert area near Tikrit, the provincial capital of Saladin, Kirkuk police captain Hamed al-Obeidi told Anadolu Agency.

He said more than 70 improvised bombs left by Daesh terrorist group have been defused in the area in the past two days.

“Security forces are continuing to hunt down Daesh militants and dismantle explosive devices in the area,” he said.

Late last year, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but destroyed. It appears, however, that the notorious terrorist group still maintains a limited presence in certain parts of the country.