BAGHDAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic State (IS) militants and a police officer were killed Thursday in an attack by the extremist IS militants on security forces in Salahuddin Province, the Iraqi military said.
The attack occurred in the early morning when IS militants attacked a federal police outpost in the town of al-Mu'tasim south of the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to a statement from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.
The statement said that the attack resulted in the killing of a police officer in the outpost, adding that three IS militants were also killed in the clash, one of whom was a would-be suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt, along with the seizing of their weapons and equipment.
Iraqi security forces arrived at the scene and launched a search campaign in the area looking for the attackers, the statement added.
The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. ■
