SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi forces foiled an attack by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in southwest of Kirkuk late on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The militants attacked the village of Hassan Shalal west of Daquq with automatic weapons on Wednesday night, a security source told National Iraqi News Agency.
Two civilians were wounded in the attack, the source said.
Another security source said a member of the Iraqi federal police was also wounded in the attack.
Recently, ISIS remnants have increased attacks against the Iraqi forces in Kirkuk province.
On Sunday, two federal policemen were killed and another was wounded in an ISIS attack in Riyadh sub-district in southwest of Kirkuk.
On June 24, five more federal policemen were killed in an explosion which Iraqi officials said planted by ISIS militants in Wadi al-Hamamat in Daquq district, south of Kirkuk.
The federal government announced victory over ISIS by the end of 2017 after Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led Coalition regained control of areas once captured by the militant group.
Despite its defeat, ISIS still poses a threat to the security and stability of the country as there are still sleeper cells in Iraq.
As many as 11 ISIS suspects including two “dangerous terrorists” in Kirkuk province, Iraq’s media security cell said on Thursday.
On June 19, the Iraqi intelligence units detained 10 ISIS suspects in Kirkuk province. The suspects acted as sleeper cells, according to the security media cell.
