<p>Baghdad: Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three injured on Wednesday in an ambush by Islamic State militants on an army convoy near the northern oil city of Kirkuk, a military statement said.</p><p>The ambush took place in a rural area southwest of Kirkuk that remains a hotbed of activity for militant cells years after Iraq declared final victory over the jihadist group in 2017.</p><p>After the defeat of Islamic State (IS) as a force able to hold swathes of territory, remnants switched to hit-and-run attacks on government forces in different areas of Iraq.</p><p>Two military officials said security forces were heading to the area around 45 km (28 miles) southwest of Kirkuk to arrest a suspected militant when they came under sniper and automatic weapons fire.</p><p>No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the military statement blamed it on IS militants. </p>
<p>Baghdad: Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three injured on Wednesday in an ambush by Islamic State militants on an army convoy near the northern oil city of Kirkuk, a military statement said.</p><p>The ambush took place in a rural area southwest of Kirkuk that remains a hotbed of activity for militant cells years after Iraq declared final victory over the jihadist group in 2017.</p><p>After the defeat of Islamic State (IS) as a force able to hold swathes of territory, remnants switched to hit-and-run attacks on government forces in different areas of Iraq.</p><p>Two military officials said security forces were heading to the area around 45 km (28 miles) southwest of Kirkuk to arrest a suspected militant when they came under sniper and automatic weapons fire.</p><p>No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the military statement blamed it on IS militants. </p>