Islamic State ambush kills four Iraqi soldiers near Kirkuk

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three injured on Wednesday in an ambush by Islamic State militants on an army convoy southwest of the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, a military statement said.

The rural area remains a hotbed of activity for militant cells, years after Iraq in 2017 declared final victory over the jihadist group, which had captured swathes of the country.

Remnants of Islamic State, no longer able to seize territory, have switched to hit-and-run attacks on government forces in different areas of Iraq.

Two military officials said security forces were heading to the area, around 45 km (28 miles) from Kirkuk, to arrest a suspected militant when they came under sniper and automatic fire.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and said in a statement on Telegram that it had ambushed an army patrol using automatic weapons and grenades.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; editing by Mark Heinrich and Kevin Liffey)

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