Iraqi Peshmerga forces are seen taking defensive positions in Diyala, Iraq (www.middleeastmonitor.com)

Police Captain Habib al-Shemmari said with the support of the Iraqi air force, mop-up operations in Diyala were launched along three separate axes, targeting the Al-Thalab, Qizlaq and Al-Hadedeen Valley areas, where IS cells are still active.

The IS, which overran much of northern and western Iraq in mid-2014, has recently suffered a string of major defeats at the hands of Iraqi security forces and a US-led military coalition.  Late last month, the terrorist group was driven from the Tal Afar district in the northern Nineveh province. And in July, the city of Mosul — once the capital of Daesh’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” — fell to the army after a nine-month campaign.