The attack took place on Saturday evening when Daesh militants attacked a police outpost guarding oil pipelines in north of the oil refinery town of Baiji, some 200km north of Baghdad, Xinhua quoted Mohammed al-Bazi, a member of the provincial police.
The attack sparked a fierce clash with the police force continued until a reinforcement police force arrived to the scene, forcing the terrorists to withdraw to the nearby desert, al-Bazi said.
The attack comes amid chaos and insecurity in the country where months of violent protests and unrest have weakened the central government and jolted security institutions.
The events have seen unknown assailants emerging from cars and gunning down protesters while assassinations and kidnappings have overshadowed peaceful protests.
Since October 1, more than 300 people have been killed in the country, according to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights commission.
The turmoil comes nearly two years after Iraq declared victory over the Daesh terror group.
Many analysts believe the US and its allies, in particular, Saudi Arabia and Israel, have been taking advantage of rightful economic and social demands by Iraqi protesters to create insecurity and mayhem and facilitate re-emergence of the Takfiri terrorist group.