BAGHDAD, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Four police officers and two policemen were killed Wednesday in two attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants in the Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a security source said.
Four federal police officers were killed when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle, followed by gunfire attack by IS militants near the town of Hawijah, in west of the provincial capital city of Kirkuk, which is located some 250 km north of Baghdad, Mahmoud al-Jubouri from Hawijah police told Xinhua.
Iraqi security forces launched a search campaign in the area looking for the assailants, according to al-Jubouri.
Also in the province, IS militants attacked a checkpoint manned by federal policemen near the town of al-Rashad, some 30 km south the city of Kirkuk, killing two policemen and wounding another.
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.
