BAGHDAD, June 2 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi army officer was killed and three others were wounded on Sunday in a clash with Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a security officer said.
The incident took place when an Iraqi army force came under heavy fire while conducting a search operation tracking IS militants in a desert area northeast of al-Rutba, some 300 km west of the provincial capital Ramadi, an officer from the Iraqi army told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The attack prompted the troops to exchange fire with the extremist IS militants, resulting in the death of an officer and the wounding of three others.
The U.S.-led coalition aircraft intervened and bombed the attacking IS militants but it was not immediately clear whether the assailants have sustained casualties, the officer said.
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.
