BAGHDAD, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Two Islamic State (IS) militants and a civilian were killed on Wednesday in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a security official said.
The incident took place when two IS militants in their car opened fire on a civilian and killed him in a village west the town of Shirqat, some 280 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Mohammed al-Bazi, from Salahudin's provincial police, told Xinhua.
After the attack, a force from the local police and armed villagers chased the attackers who tried to escape to a nearby desert area and killed them both, al-Bazi 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.
