The attack took place in the early hours of the day when IS militants attacked a village near the town of Khanaqin, some 165 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Mohammed al-Shimmary told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack sparked fierce clash between the attackers and local policemen, backed by armed villagers, al-Shimmary said.

The clash resulted in the killing of two policemen and six villagers, along with wounding six villagers, according to al-Shimmary, who said that the extremist IS militants withdrew as reinforcement forces arrived to the village.

Despite repeated military operations against the IS remnants, IS militants are still hiding in deserts, rugged areas as well as in Himreen mountain range which extends in the provinces of Diyala, Salahudin and Kirkuk. They are capable of carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.