Baghdad, Dec 26 (IANS): Two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed and one soldier wounded in a clash in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, a provincial police source said.

Earlier on Sunday, a fierce clash erupted during an operation to hunt down IS militants in Qara-Chokh Mountain near the town of Makhmour, some 60 km southeast of Nineveh's provincial capital Mosul, leaving two IS militants killed and one soldier wounded, Major Saad al-Baiyati from Nineveh police was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

Al-Baiyati said that the security operation would continue to clear the dangerous IS redoubt in the mountainous area south of Mosul.

Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.