BAGHDAD, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were killed and five others wounded Thursday when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked a village in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, a security official said.
The incident took place at dawn when a group of IS militants attacked the house of a local tribal leader in al-Khazrajiyah village in al-Baaj area near the border with Syria, Dhaidan al-Shammari, chief of al-Baaj police, told Xinhua.
The extremist militants attacked the house of the tribe leader with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG-7), before a fierce clash erupted between the attackers and the villagers, al-Shammari said.
The attack resulted in the killing of the wife and the daughter of the tribal leader, and the wounding of the tribe leader himself and four of his family members, al-Shammari added.
The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremists 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.
