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Iraq continues fourth phase of anti-ISIS operation in Diyala
[Rudaw] Iraqi security forces launched the next stage in the fourth phase of a joint security operation against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (ISIS) remnants in Diyala province on Sunday. The latest stage of the "Heroes of Iraq" operation was launched with the aim of tracking terrorist cells in the province, according to Yehia Rasool, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief. It also aims to "create a safe environment for the return of displaced families" in various areas, he tweeted. According to Iraqi state media, the latest phase is being conducted across three frontlines by the Iraqi army, local and federal police and rapid response forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al Shaabi in Arabic) — an umbrella network of mostly Shiite paramilitary forces established to fight ISIS in 2014. The first phase of the operation was announced in mid-May, with a focus on the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahaddin. Phase two was announced on June 2, targeting ISIS holdouts on the fringes of Salahaddin and Kirkuk. The third phase of the operation was launched in late June and covered "stretches of northern Iraq," according to Rasool. Although the Iraqi government announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in December 2017, remnants of the group have since returned to their earlier insurgency tactics, ambushing security forces, kidnapping and executing suspected informants, and extorting money from vulnerable rural populations. Having lost all of its urban strongholds, the group is now most active in Iraq’s remote deserts and mountains, and in territories disputed by the governments of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, where a wide security vacuum has opened up. Diyala, which lies in the disputed territories, has become a hotspot for ISIS attacks. Members of the minority Kakai community have been particularly targeted. The Karkais are a Kurdish subgroup who follow a Muslim heresy that involves worshipping the sun and fire, and the men growing mustaches. ISIS has always referred to Kakais as "infidels" in its weekly al-Naba newsletter, ...and so they are, as are the happy rest of us... which is usually published by the group's propaganda channels on Telegram messaging app.Related: Diyala: 2020-07-25 Iraq Security Media Cell: 4 Katyusha rockets landed in Besmaya camp Diyala: 2020-07-18 Iraqi military puts ISIS leaders in crosshairs Diyala: 2020-07-18 Iraq army commander killed in terror attack north of Baghdad: Security Media Cell Related: Heroes of Iraq: 2020-07-18 Iraqi military puts ISIS leaders in crosshairs Heroes of Iraq: 2020-07-18 Iraq army commander killed in terror attack north of Baghdad: Security Media Cell Heroes of Iraq: 2020-07-12 Iraqi, Kurdish forces launch joint attacks against ISIS on Iranian border Related: Kakai: 2020-06-16 ISIS claims responsibility for deadly attack in Khanaqin Kakai: 2020-06-16 Top Kurdish commander threatens to return troops to Diyala after deadly ISIS attack Kakai: 2020-06-15 Suspected ISIS attack targets Kakai Kurds near Iraq-Iran border Posted by: trailing wife 2020-07-27 |
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