Iraq News Now

Shafaq News/Iraqi and Kurdish forces have intensified operations against ISIS, killing over100 militants in a series of airstrikes and coordinated efforts. The campaign,bolstered by intelligence sharing between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region,targeted key hideouts in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Saladin provinces, dismantlingsleeper cells and preventing the group from regaining strength.

JointOperations Command Strikes

Many areascontinue to be battlegrounds in the fight against ISIS, with operations aimedat eliminating any opportunities the group could exploit to regain influence.Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command(JOC), told Shafaq News Agency, "JOC has played a crucial role ineliminating ISIS elements, especially in areas of mutual concern betweenBaghdad and the Kurdistan Region."

One of theprimary challenges has been the deployment of ISIS fighters in rugged andgeographically complex areas. Iraqi warplanes launched intensive airstrikestargeting positions on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Saladin, resultingin the deaths of 150 militants, including several leaders.

According toal-Khafaji, these strikes were instrumental in preventing ISIS fromestablishing footholds in the region.

The Role ofCoordination: Peshmerga and Iraqi Forces

The MajorGeneral revealed that operations rooms have been established in key locations,including Kirkuk, the Kurdistan Region, Nineveh, and Khanaqin, to ensureseamless coordination between Iraqi federal forces and the Peshmerga."These rooms operate continuously to coordinate security and intelligenceefforts…Two brigades—comprising the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces—have beendeployed to reinforce areas where ISIS movements have been detected.”

Al-Khafajipraised the collaboration with Kurdistan’s security forces, including theAsayish, which has been essential in tracking down terrorist groups. Heemphasized that “intelligence sharing has significantly contributed to thedismantling of sleeper cells and the prevention of ISIS’s resurgence.”

Escalationof Threats

Theescalation of military operations comes with many noticeable field indicatorsfrom ISIS. Last July, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that ISIS haddoubled its attacks in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of 2024 in an attemptto reassert itself. According to CENTCOM, the group has carried out 153 attacksthis year, more than double the total in 2023.

In Kirkuk,Nashat Shahwez, head of the Security Committee in the Provincial Council, toldShafaq News Agency, "The security forces are working professionally, whichreflects positively on the overall stability in Kirkuk."

Hehighlighted the role of coordinated military units in destroying ISIS hideoutsand killing remnants hiding in caves in the Hamrin Mountains and the valleys ofShay, Zghaitun, and Zarka.

"Thesecurity forces are working professionally, which reflects positively on theoverall security stability in Kirkuk’s areas.”

He, asAl-Khafaji, shed light on the Coordination between military units, confirmingthat it has significantly contributed to the destruction of ISIS hideouts, andthe killing of its remnants, who are hiding in Hamrin Mountains, the valleys ofShay, Zghaitun, and Zarka.

DismantlingISIS Cells

Shahwezcredited joint efforts between security forces in Kirkuk and the KurdistanRegion’s Asayish for dismantling terrorist cells. “This coordination sends areassuring message to the people of Kirkuk about the dedication of securityagencies,” he said, citing improved monitoring and the arrest of individualsattempting to disrupt stability.

Maythamal-Amerli, mayor of Amerli district in Saladin province, echoed similarsentiments, noting that the high preparedness and professionalism of securityforces have prevented breaches. “The situation today is different from previousyears,” he told Shafaq News Agency, adding that ISIS’s strength hassignificantly declined.

A UnitedNations report earlier this year estimated ISIS’s combined strength in Iraq andSyria to range between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters. However, Al-Amerli pointed outthat the group’s activities have been reduced to small detachments operating inremote areas, including the outskirts of Lake Amerli, the Zarka area, and theHamrin mountain range.

RemainingChallenges and Areas of Operation

Ali Khalil,a security expert, explained that most ISIS movements occur between Kirkuk,Diyala, Saladin, and Nineveh provinces.

“A vast areawitnessed intensive operations through the Hamrin Mountains, the Al-Azimregion, the Shay Valley, the Zghaitun Valley, and the border strip between theDibis district towards Erbil, along the Dibis-Tun Kuweiri line, as well as theoutskirts of Nineveh and Saladin, and the Al-Jazira region in Nineveh.” He toldShafaq News.

“Intensiveoperations, including airstrikes, have weakened ISIS groups but have noteradicated them entirely.”

Khalilhighlighted the need for sustained efforts, noting that gaps between federaland Kurdish-controlled areas remain a concern.

Al-Amerlistated that three brigades—the 52nd and 63rd of the Popular Mobilization Forces(PMF) and an Iraqi army brigade—are securing the Amerli district andsurrounding areas.

“Securityis stable,” he said, crediting the operational rooms overseeing the district’ssafety. These efforts, he argued, “are vital to maintaining control alonginternational roads and preventing ISIS infiltration.”

On the otherhand, Nashat Shahwez pointed out that "there are security gaps betweenKirkuk and the areas bordering the Kurdistan Region, particularly towards Erbiland Al-Sulaymaniyah”, and as a solution, he assumed that these security gapsneed to be addressed by fully deploying the joint forces, including bothfederal forces and the Peshmerga, to eliminate any potential areas where theorganization might attempt to regroup in.

As regionaldynamics continue to evolve, a key question persists: Will ISIS exploitopportunities to rebuild, or will the coordinated operations between Baghdadand the Kurdistan Region succeed in rooting the group out of its remainingstrongholds?