BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Four Iraqi security members and two civilians were killed on Tuesday in attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants in the provinces of Diyala and Salahudin, security sources said.
"A roadside bomb exploded as a Hashd Shaabi force conducted a search campaign in a village near the town of Khanaqin, some 165 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, leaving two paramilitary members killed and one wounded," Alaa al-Saadi from the Diyala police told Xinhua.
Also in the province, IS militants opened fire on a car near Khanaqin, killing the driver and his wife, al-Saadi said, adding that the security forces launched a search for the attackers.
In the province of Salahudin, IS militants opened fire at an army checkpoint near the town of Baiji, some 200 km north of the capital Baghdad, sparking a fierce clash before the militants fled the scene to the nearby desert, Mohammed al-Bazi from the provincial police told Xinhua.
A reinforcement force arrived at the scene after the clash that killed two soldiers and wounded another, al-Bazi said.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.
However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
