The operation was carried out at around 8 p.m. local time by Iraqi Army aviation units operating under the Kirkuk Operations Command, with intelligence support from the Military Intelligence Directorate, according to a statement from the Iraqi Security Media Cell.

The strike took place within the area of responsibility of the 32nd Infantry Brigade of the 8th Mechanized Division, targeting suspected militants who had reportedly entered the area in a pickup truck.

According to local media reports, Iraqi intelligence had detected the suspicious vehicle in Altun Kupri, also known as Pirde, prompting a large deployment of army and counter-terrorism forces around the district.

Security forces reportedly tracked the vehicle after receiving information that it was carrying suspected Daesh members attempting to move through the area toward other locations where the group is believed to maintain hideouts.

Rudaw, citing its correspondent in Kirkuk, reported that the suspected militants intended to travel toward the areas of Qara Salem and Darmanaw, while other reports also identified Bani Sheikha and Jia Jarmak among their possible destinations.

Witnesses in Qara Bag village, east of Altun Kupri, reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions as Iraqi forces engaged the suspected militants. An Iraqi military helicopter was also seen operating over the area as army aircraft struck militant positions.

The developments prompted authorities to temporarily close roads connecting Altun Kupri with Kirkuk, Erbil and Dibis, while the main Kirkuk-Erbil highway was also shut to traffic as security forces surrounded the district and deployed reinforcements.

The commander of the Kirkuk Operations Command arrived at the scene to oversee the operation, according to local media. The roads and entrances to the district were subsequently reopened, with traffic on the Kirkuk-Erbil highway resuming later that evening.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Security Media Cell confirmed that three militants had been killed and the person accused of transporting them had been arrested. It said security forces were continuing search and inspection operations in the area, with further details expected to be announced.

Although the initial official statement did not identify the group to which the three men belonged, Rudaw and other local reports linked them to Daesh, citing intelligence information and accounts from the area.

The latest operation comes amid intensified Iraqi military activity against suspected Daesh networks in Kirkuk, where the terror group continues to pose a security threat despite losing control of its territory in Iraq in 2017.