6 security members killed in 2 attacks in central Iraq

A total of six security members were killed on Wednesday in two attacks by gunmen, believed to be affiliated with Islamic State (IS) group, in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

In one attack, gunmen attacked in the evening a security checkpoint manned by police and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters in Sayid Ghareeb area near the town of Dejail, some 70 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Col. Mohammed al-Bazi from the provincial police command told Xinhua.

The attack resulted in the killing of five security members and the wounding of two others, al-Bazi said.

Reinforcement troops arrived to the scene and launched a search operation looking for the attackers who believed fled to nearby orchards, he added.

Separately, gunmen said to be affiliated with IS group attacked an outpost for federal police near the Tigris River in al-Abbasiyah area near the city of Samarra, which itself located some 120 km north of Baghdad, leaving a policeman killed and a police officer wounded, 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.