After being taken over by Islamic State fighters the day before, security sources said Iraqi forces and Kurdish Bashmarka fighters had regained control of a village in northern Iraq today.

Although some houses were booby-trapped by the gunmen with explosive devices, sources said that, early at dawn, special forces in the Iraqi Interior Ministry and Kurdish Bashmerga fighters managed to take control of the village of Lahiban.

According to security sources, in a separate attack yesterday, Islamic State militants killed four Bashmerga soldiers and one civilian and injured six others when they attacked the village of Qarah Salim in northern Iraq.

In a statement, the Ministry of Bashmarka Affairs said that the attack caused casualties but did not confirm their number.

Bashmerga is the military force of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq

A colonel in Bashmerga said Islamic State fighters were using the Kr-and-Fr method in night attacks on Kurdish forces positions.

"They are avoiding staying on the ground for a long time, and more reinforcements have been sent to the area to prevent further attacks," he added.

Two Iraqi security sources said that Iraqi forces and Bashmarka fighters had strengthened their forces today in the area where the attacks had taken place and Iraqi military helicopters had been pushed to hunt down the militants.

Western military officials say that at least 10,000 fighters of the organization remain in Iraq and Syria.

It should be noted that Iraq declared victory over the militant organization in December 2017. Although the organization was largely defeated, its fighters continued to launch sporadic attacks and form limited cells throughout the country, particularly in the north.