Baghdad, Feb 24 (IANS): Iraq has arrested five "terrorists," who were charged with crimes, including killing, imprisoning and torturing citizens, in the country's northern province of Salahudin, an official source said.

During several pre-emptive operations, the Interior Ministry's intelligence agency "was able to arrest five wanted terrorists for their affiliation with the Islamic State (IS) gangs," said a statement issued by the Security Media Cell (SMC), a media outlet affiliated with Iraq's armed forces.

The SMC didn't reveal details about the time of the arrests, Xinhua news agency reported.

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 sneaked into urban centres, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.