Thursday, five Iraqi troops were killed after their helicopter crashed on a “combat mission” north of Baghdad, a security source said. The source confirmed that it had been hit by ground fire.

The helicopter came down near Amerli in Salaheddin province, the military said, in an area where Iraqi troops have carried out repeated operations against suspected sleeper cells of Daesh.

Video footage showed firefighters attempting to put out a blaze in the wreckage of the aircraft.

Tuesday, the security forces had launched an operation to “search and clear areas in the south of Kirkuk province,” which borders Salaheddin, according to a statement on their Twitter account.

The security source told AFP that the helicopter that came down was one of two that had been checking pylons carrying high-voltage power lines in the area, a frequent target for holdout extremists in recent months.