The source told Shafaq News agency that Daesh attacked “Al-Qala’a village in Sheikh Baba basin, north of Jalawla district, with mortar shells and sniper weapons, followed by an attack on a military post on the outskirts of the village."
He added that two soldiers died in the attack and a third one was wounded.
The source further pointed out that Iraqi forces had arrived in the area in “search of the attackers who fled towards the nearby orchards and rivers."
In recent months, suspected Daesh militants have stepped up attacks, particularly in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin (north), and Diyala (east), known as the “Triangle of Death”.
In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh by reclaiming all of its territory – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terrorist group in 2014.
However, the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in some areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks.
The Iraqi army and popular forces continue to carry out frequent operations against the terror group in these parts of the country.