WATCH: People in disputed Makhmour warn of increasing ISIS activity
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The disputed town of Makhmour on the outskirt of the Kurdistan Region’s capital has witnessed an uptick in Islamic State movement, with locals warning of threats they continuously face from the jihadist group.
Makhmour is a disputed town claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq. It is located some 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil.
The town used to be jointly administered by the two governments since the fall of the Iraqi authoritarian regime in 2003.
Following the emergence of the Islamic State in 2014, throughout many disputed areas, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces held their frontline and prevented sleeper cells from entering their territory despite the terrorist organization controlling adjacent land.
Security in those regions, however, significantly deteriorated after Iraqi forces backed by Shia militias, in response to the Kurdistan Region’s September 2017 independence referendum, overran Kirkuk and other disputed territories and drove Kurdish forces out.
Kurdistan 24 Reporter Kamaran Haji Omar on Thursday interviewed several people from the area on the Makhmour – Erbil road as they passed through a security checkpoint.
Residents were quick to point out to Kurdistan 24 that the security situation had noticeably deteriorated, with people feeling insecure as with the increased activity of Islamic State militants in the region.
“We do not feel safe, not even for a second,” one man said.
“There was none of that when the Peshmerga were present, but now, ISIS is back.”
Others described the Islamic State militants as fearless and out in the open, approaching people and forcing them to pay taxes or give them livestock.
Since October 2017, Iraqi forces have been in charge of protecting the area, but locals question their abilities.
“The Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi are holding on to their hats so tightly as to not to let the wind blow them away,” one man said, using a Kurdish proverb meaning that they are too preoccupied with their own safety to think of others.
“It’s hopeless. People are waiting for the Kurds [Peshmerga forces] to do something,” he continued.