Iranian security forces killed three militants linked to Islamic State in a city close to the Iraqi border on Tuesday, confiscating a weapons cache and belts armed with explosives, a senior official said.

The trio were shot dead in the house they were staying in Kermanshah city, the governor of Kermanshah province, Asadollah Razani, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

The city is around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Iraqi border.

A senior member of Islamic State was killed on Monday night in an operation in another city in the province, during which other supporters of the group were arrested, Razani said.

A mountainous area bordering Iraq, Kermanshah has a largely Sunni Kurdish population and a history of insurgency against the Shi’ite Muslim republic of Iran.

Sunni Islamic State, whose members view Shi’ites as heretics, controls large areas of Iraq and Syria.

Iranian officials say Islamic State militants have been targeting the country in recent months, while Tehran has ramped up its military presence in both Iraq and Syria following Russia’s entry into the conflict in Syria.

In June, Iranian intelligence authorities said they arrested 10 IS militants and seized about 100 kilograms of explosives intended to be used in car and suicide bombs and other attacks in busy public places.

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