Suspected Islamic State (IS) terrorists on Saturday shot dead at least 12 members of a family in an ambush in Saladin province of northern Iraq, according to an Iraqi security official.

The official, Lieutenant Numan al-Jabouri, told Anadolu News Agency that the terrorists barged into a house and killed all the 12 people in al-Farhatiah town.

He further said that the among the deceased, several of them were women and children. The motive behind the attack is yet to be known and an investigation on the same is underway.

The IS has not reacted to the attack and is yet to claim responsibility so far.

In December, Iraq declared victory over the IS, which had seized control of nearly a third of the country in 2014.

However, the security forces still conduct operations against what they call as "sleeper cells" of the group in the country.

It is to be noted that in April, an Iraqcourt sentenced 19 women from Russia to life imprisonment after they were found "joining and supporting" the IS.

According to experts, there are nearly 20,000 people, who are behind bars for their alleged involvement with the terror group. However, the Iraqi government has not released the official figures yet.