BAGHDAD, Iraq 

Iraqi authorities said Tuesday six Daesh/ISIS terrorists were killed in a police chase in the southern province of Kirkuk.

A federal police statement said an explosive belt and device were seized from a Daesh hideout during the chase in the area of Wadi al-Karha, southwest Kirkuk city.

In mid-2014, Daesh/ISIS overran roughly one-third of Iraq, including the northern city of Mosul.

By late 2017, the Iraqi army -- with the help of the U.S.-led military coalition -- recovered most if not all the territories lost to the terrorist group.

Although officials in Baghdad say Daesh/ISIS presence in the country has been largely eradicated, the terrorist group has continued to stage sporadic attacks in Iraq's Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin and Anbar provinces. 

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara