Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in clashes with militants north of Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence said in a statement Tuesday (June 4th).
"Security forces early Tuesday morning conducted an operation in search of terrorists in al-Tarmiya, north of Baghdad," it said.
"The terrorists blew up an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a vehicle of the Iraqi army’s 9th Brigade," the statement said.
During the ensuing evacuation, shots were fired at the Iraqi forces from a nearby orchard, prompting them to respond to the source of fire.
Three militants were killed in the clashes, the statement said.