BAGHDAD, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of three security members and a militant of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group were killed on Friday in an IS attack on a military base in Iraqi western province of Anbar, an army source said.
The attack took place in the early morning when IS militants attacked a base for the Iraqi army and paramilitary Sunni tribal fighters, sparking a clash near the town of al-Rutba, some 450 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an army officer in the province told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The attack resulted in the killing of two soldiers and a tribal fighter and the wounding of two soldiers, while an IS militant was also killed in the clash, the source said.
After reinforcement troops arrived at the scene, the attackers withdrew to a nearby desert, the source added.
During the past months, IS militants have intensified their attacks on the Iraqi security forces in the province the militants previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded.
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 deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
