An army force swept the desert areas of Halabsa, Nibaie, al-Liyn, Albu Obied and Albu Khalifa in northwest of Baghdad and clashed with the ISIL militants, leaving 19 ISIL militants killed after they seized five of their redoubts, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The troops destroyed two vehicles carrying heavy machine guns and a third carrying ammunition, along with defusing 27 roadside bombs and 13 booby-trapped houses, the statement said, Xinhua reported.
The offensive also targeted Sabi al-Bour area, another ISIL redoubt just northwest of Baghdad, and killed 24 militants, including three local leaders, it said, adding that the troops destroyed three vehicles carrying machine guns and a rocket launcher which was prepared to pound the holy Shiite district of Kadhmiyah in northern Baghdad.