BAGHDAD, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi military said on Saturday that an airstrike has killed all the militants in a hideout of the Islamic State (IS) militants in the northern province of Kirkuk.

Based on intelligence reports, Iraqi warplanes carried out an airstrike on the hideout in a village near the town of al-Rashad, which is about 60 km south of the namesake provincial capital Kirkuk, according to a statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

After the airstrike, an Iraqi army force found bodies of IS militants in the hideout, including one wearing an explosive belt, along with weapons and other equipment, the statement said, without mentioning the number of the killed militants.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.