Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced in a statement on Monday that its forces engaged a ‘terrorist group’ that used 20 vehicles and more than two dozen motorcycles to slip into Iraq’s Anbar Province, bordering Syria.

The Iraqi forces pushed the armed militants back after a two-hour clash, the ministry added.

The border clash came after Iraq said earlier this week that it had discovered three underground tunnels on its border with Syria, which were used by militants to smuggle weapons and people into and out of the country.

The foreign-backed insurgency in Syria has had spillover effects in neighboring countries, including Lebanon and Iraq.

In addition to infiltration attempts by militant groups, Iraq is also witnessing bombings and shooting attacks on an almost regular basis. The Baghdad government has blames Saudi-linked al-Qaeda terrorists for the carnage.

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