KIRKUK, Iraq 

A police officer in Iraq's Kirkuk province was killed early Monday in a terrorist attack by Daesh/ISIS.

The terrorists targeted a federal police observation post in southern Kirkuk, according to a statement by Kirkuk Police Directorate press officer Afrasyav Kamil.

The attack took place near Mansuriyah al-Jabal village, Kamil said.

Recently, the number of attacks on security forces in Kirkuk, Mosul, Anbar, Salahuddin and Diyala provinces have increased considerably.

In late 2017, officials in Baghdad declared that the military presence of Daesh/ISIS in Iraq had been all but destroyed.

But the terrorists still have a presence in the rural areas of Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin and Mosul.

The Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the group in these parts of the country.

*Writing by Firdevs Bulut