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Iraqi forces have destroyed a warehouse with seven missiles containing chlorine gas in the central Iraqi province of Diyala in addition to killing 18 Islamic State (IS) militants, reported Shafaq News on Saturday, citing provincial police chief General Jamil Shammari, according to RIA Novosti.

"Our security forces from the army, the police and the National crowd managed to kill 18 terrorists from ISIS and destroyed a warehouse that contained 7 missiles with chlorine gas and other explosive materials during the ongoing security operation north of Muqdadiyah area," Shammari was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

According to Shammari, the IS had planned to use the missiles against security forces and civilians in surrounding areas, the newspaper reported. The ongoing security operation which located and eliminated the warehouse is part of a process clearing the areas north of Muqdadiya and al-Sudour dam. Operations around the dam in Diyala include participation from the military, police, and locals.

The IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, it launched an offensive in Iraq and seized vast areas in both countries, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate on the territories under its control.