Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed the report, saying that the militants tried to approach the border, but following the attack by Iraqi helicopters some eight militants have been killed, an interior ministry spokesman said.

"The army struck eight tanker trucks in Wadi Suwab inside Syrian territory as they were trying to enter Iraqi territory to provide the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with fuel," Brigadier General Saad Maan said.

It was the first time Iraq's military has said it carried out an attack in Syria.

In December, Iraqi armed 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 militants back after a two-hour clash.

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 blamed Saudi-linked Al-Qaeda terrorists for the carnage.

NTJ/SHI