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An Iraqi military airstrike killed five Islamic State (IS) group militants early on Friday in the country's north.

The militants were targeted on the outskirts of Wadi al-Azim in Saladin governorate, the government's security media cell announced at dawn.

A senior officer in the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command said airstrikes had taken out many IS members and leaders this month, as part of pre-emptive action to stop the extremists from carrying out attacks in the country.

On Thursday, security forces said they captured five "terrorists" who participated in the torture, killing, and displacement of Iraqis in Saladin.

وكالة الاستخبارات ::تلقي القبض على خمسة ارهابيين اشتركوا في قتل وتهجير المواطنين وتعذيبهم في صلاح الدين

— خلية الإعلام الأمني🇮🇶 (@SecMedCell)

Iraq has seen a spike in attacks in recent months, mainly targeting military and security forces. The attacks often take place outside major cities.

IS captured large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014, and though they were territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, remnants of the group are still active in parts of the country’s north and west.