The offensive aims to eradicate ISIL’s presence in Qarachukh mountain in northern Iraq, the security council of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region said in a statement. 

“The moping-up operation aims to hunt down ISIL militants who use the mountainous area to launch attacks,” it added. 

The Qarachukh mountain is a disputed area between the central government in Baghdad and the Erbil-based Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). 

Since Iraqi forces -- with the help of the U.S.-led coalition – defeated ISIL in 2017, they have carried out frequent mopping-up operations aimed at eradicating the terror group’s lingering presence in the area. 

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that ISIL's military presence in the country had been all but destroyed. The group, however, still appears to maintain a limited presence in northern and western Iraq.