BAGHDAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi officer and a soldier were killed Tuesday, and six more soldiers wounded in separate bomb explosions near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a security source said.
"An army major and a soldier were killed in a roadside bomb blast while they were on a foot patrol searching orchards in Tarmiyah area, some 40 km north of Baghdad," Major Amer al-Jubouri from Baghdad Operation command told Xinhua.
In another attack, an explosive device went off near an army patrol during the search operation in Tarmiyah area, leaving two soldiers wounded, al-Jubouri said.
Iraqi security forces have repeatedly searched the dense orchards of Tarmiyah area, where many of the Islamic State (IS) militants are believed to be hiding, al-Jubouri said, adding that many of the suspected extremist IS militants have been killed or arrested so far.
The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.
However, IS remnants have since regrouped in desert and rugged areas, carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians despite the military operations from time to time to hunt them down.
