At least one federal officer was killed when ISIS targeted an Iraqi police site near Kirkuk, the interior ministry has said, in the first reported attack since the withdrawal of the US-led coalition last week.
Bakr Majid Mohammed Al Lami was killed on Monday while confronting a group of ISIS members who attempted to attack his guard post in the Al Barghaliyah area, the ministry statement said. There was no claim of responsibility.
The attackers used semi-automatic machineguns and sniper fire against the federal police post, two security sources told Reuters.
It is the first reported ISIS assault against Iraqi security forces since the US-led coalition left Iraq on September 30. The military mission was formed in 2014 to support Iraqi forces in the fight against the group, which included efforts to prevent them from regrouping.
Iraqi forces are now responsible for the country's security and for suppressing ISIS remnants, though the US has said it would continue to provide training and intelligence support.
Just days before the withdrawal, Iraqi security forces killed two suspected ISIS suicide bombers in the northern province of Kirkuk.
Since the territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq in late 2017, remnants have continued to operate in small cells in remote areas, mainly in deserts or valleys, and it is unusual for clashes with militant fighters to break out in urban areas.
The government of Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi and its supporters, including the Co-ordination Framework, say Iraqi forces are capable of maintaining security independently and that ending the foreign combat presence restores full sovereignty.
Opponents, including some Sunni and Kurdish politicians as well as security analysts, have expressed concerns about the capabilities of Iraqi forces to contain ISIS without coalition air power, intelligence and logistical support.
