Peshmerga forces patrol in the Giraw area, east of Tuz Khurmatu, in June 2017. (ARAZ MOHAMMED/Iraq Oil Report)
SULAIMANIYA/ERBIL - The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group has launched an increasingly fierce campaign in northern Iraq, including several recent attacks near oil fields in which both security forces and civilians have been killed.
The firepower, persistence, and deadly success of the IS group's recent operations appear to signal an aggressive new chapter in its insurgency — as well as the chronic inadequacy of Iraq's fractious security response.
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