Two killed, 28 injured as Islamic State attacks checkpoints in Iraq's Samarra

Two people have been killed and 28 others have been injured in an attack launched by Islamic State (IS) militants on Iraqi security forces in the central city of Samarra.

About five suicide bomb attacks took place on checkpoints along a motorway west of Samarra, reported the BBC. The bombing was followed by mortar attacks on the city, the report said. The terror group surrounded Samarra, a predominantly Sunni city that is home to one of Shia Islam's holiest sites, after launching an offensive in northern Iraq in June.

Soldiers and allied Shia militiamen have managed to prevent the city from falling into the hands of the IS and have recently retaken towns and villages to the south with the help of United States-led coalition air strikes.