The militants were intercepted at a point close to the Riyad town of Kirkuk as a result of some intelligence obtained, Police Capt. Muntazar Al-Saadi said. 

Meanwhile, five Iraqi soldiers were killed in a ISIL ambush at an area close to a military base in eastern Diyala province in Iraq, Captain Habib al-Shamri said.

In the Et-Tarimiyye district in Salahaddin province, six ISIL militants including four foreign nationals were killed by Iraqi  army drones, Army Captain Nezhan al-Hidir announced.

In late February, at least 27 pro-government fighters were killed in a ISIL ambush in southwestern Kirkuk province. 

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that ISIL’s military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled. However, it appears that the notorious terrorist group still maintains a network of “sleeper cells” in several parts of the country.