BAGHDAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Monday killed seven Islamic State (IS) militants in an operation by a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi force in west of Mosul, a Hashd Shaabi said.

A statement by the paramilitary command said that one of its brigades carried out an operation in desert area named Abu Hassa in west of the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, leaving seven IS militants killed and destroying a number of IS hideouts and tunnels.

However, IS remnants used hideouts in rugged areas near the rivers of Tigris and Zab as well as Himreen mountainous areas to continue their almost daily attacks against civilians and Iraqi forces.

On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.

Nevertheless, small groups and individuals of IS militants manage to carry out sporadic attacks against security forces and civilians despite regular operations to hunt them down.