BAGHDAD, May 13 (Xinhua) -- At least two civilians were killed in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, while Iraqi forces arrested 12 IS militants in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, an official and Iraqi military said on Monday.
In the early morning, IS militants attacked a car near the city of Khanaqin, some 165 km northeast the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing the driver and his son and set fire to their car, Sameer Mohammed Nour, head of Khanaqin city council, told Xinhua.
Afterwards, a force from the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units rushed to the scene and clashed with the attackers, leaving two Hashd Shaabi members wounded, Nour said, adding that the security forces launched after the incident a search operation looking for the extremist militants.
Despite repeated military operations in Diyala, some IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountain range in the northern part of the province.
Separately, in Kirkuk province, an intelligence force dismantled an IS cell and arrested 12 militants who believed to be responsible for preparing hideouts and other logistic services, according to a statement by the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017.
IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
