By Hussein al-Amir

BAGHDAD

The bodies of two customs officials were discovered early Thursday in Iraq’s Diyala province hours after they were abducted by unidentified gunmen, according to a local police source.

Diyala Police Captain Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency that the bodies of the two officials -- whose names have not been made public -- were found near the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway in Diyala’s Al-Azim district.

“The victims were abducted late Wednesday night by unidentified gunmen believed to be associated with the Daesh terrorist group,” al-Shammari said.

Last year, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled following a three-year war with the Iraqi armed forces.

Nevertheless, the notorious terrorist group appears to maintain active "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country, including Diyala.