Four members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization were killed in two airstrikes by the Iraqi Air Force. This is the outcome of the latest operation communicated by the Iraqi Security Media Cell (ISMC), after yesterday’s F-16 fighters targeted a series of IS hideouts and tunnels in the province of Kirkuk, in Kurdistan. One of the terrorists killed, according to the ISMC, was a senior leader of the organization. Attacks by Iraqi Forces against IS cells stationed in remote areas of the country have continued regularly for some time. The Islamic State, after having taken control of large areas in Iraq and Syria in 2014, suffered huge defeats over the following years, until the loss in 2017 of all the most important areas conquered in the two countries. Although IS’s military capabilities have been reduced, the terrorist organization continues to pose a threat, operating at low intensity in both Iraq and Syria, according to a recently published United Nations report. To date, IS activities are less frequent in urban centers and are mainly limited to rural areas, where small cells, even “sleeping” ones, are still based.
During the week, the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, underlined that the Islamic State “is militarily finished”, confirming however the existence of some cells today. “IS is not just a terrorist organization, it is an ideological organization that persists in hard-to-reach areas,” Yarallah noted, adding however that the remaining terrorist cells “should not cause citizens to worry.” “The remnants of the terrorist organization operate in some places that have been identified in the triangle between Kirkuk, Salah al Din and Diyala and have been identified. We carry out tasks in those areas in order to prevent any infiltration or advancement of these remnants towards possible targets, whether civilian or military,” the head of the Iraqi Armed Forces said.
The definitive elimination of the Islamic State from Iraqi territory is at the center of the official talks between Washington and Baghdad, which have been ongoing since the beginning of the year, on the end of the mission of the International Coalition against IS – led by the US – and on withdrawal of US forces. The dossier was also discussed during the visit last April to the United States of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ al Sudani, who however was received at the White House by US President Joe Biden. The parties had discussed in particular the work of three subcommittees established within a high-level military commission created to evaluate the evolution of the international coalition against the Islamic State. In this regard, Biden and Al Sudani had expressed their support for all the working groups tasked with analyzing the IS threat level, the operational results achieved and strengthening the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. The head of the government in Baghdad and the US president have promised to examine all these factors to determine how and when to gradually end the Coalition mission, in order to then move to “permanent bilateral security partnerships”, according to the basis of the Iraqi Constitution and the strategic framework agreement between the two countries.
Iraq’s need to gradually end the Coalition’s mission against IS emerged following US bombings against pro-Iranian militias responsible for attacks on US bases on the Syrian-Iraqi border. According to the Baghdad government, the mission has become above all a “factor of instability” over the last few months. After the start of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israeli forces and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq, whose brand appeared on Telegram last October and which includes several armed militias supported by Iran – such as Kataib Hezbollah al Nujaba, Asaib Ahl al Haq and Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada – began launching attacks against US targets. At the end of last January, the Resistance claimed responsibility for a drone attack that hit a US base on the border between Syria and Jordan and which cost the lives of three US soldiers. In response, Washington launched an air raid in the following days, hitting over 85 targets of the Iranian Pasdaran and affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria. Islamic Resistance attacks in Iraq against US targets then ceased. The militias under the umbrella of Iran had announced the end of their operations in February, explaining that they did not want to “embarrass the Iraqi government” and thus began a “temporarily passive” defensive phase, waiting for the Baghdad executive to agreed on the definitive withdrawal of US troops.
On Wednesday 19 June, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq met to discuss the presence of US forces in the country, as well as efforts to ensure respect for national sovereignty. “The Coordination Committee held an exceptional meeting to discuss events in the region and in Iraq. We have always been clear about our positions,” the Iranian-backed militia group explained. “The committee discussed the opportunity given to the (Baghdad) government more than four months ago to plan for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. The need to continue efforts to achieve national sovereignty was highlighted,” the Resistance reported, stressing that “procrastination” allowed the United States to continue “occupying territory, violating airspace, controlling economic decisions and safety”. Therefore, the Iraqi militias added, “the Iraqi people, their courageous resistance, dedicated politicians and tribal leaders are capable and determined to solve this problem, using all available means to restore security, stability and complete sovereignty” .
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