By Ibrahim Salih

DIYALA, Iraq

At least eight police officers were killed in a Daesh ambush on a highway in Iraq Saturday, according to a local police officer.

Diyala Police Captain Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency the ambush took place at the Baghdad-Kirkuk highway.

The eight police officers were taken to a hill and were shot dead, he added.

Lt. Semir al-Hamidi said federal police and Hashd al-Shaabi forces had been sent to the area following the incident.

Established in 2014, Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella group of pro-government Shia militias formed for the express purpose of fighting Daesh.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh terrorist group's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled.

It appears the notorious terrorist group, however, still maintains "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country, including Diyala and the neighboring Saladin province.