Islamic State activities in Iraq
In June 2023, the security situation in parts of Iraq remained complicated, mainly due to the activities of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
Iraqi security forces kept working to identify and eliminate radical who have gone underground, hiding mostly in urban and remote areas.
In general, despite the decrease in activity, the Islamic State still poses a material threat to the security forces and the people of Iraq. The jihadists are still able to carry out sustainable subversive activities and use their specific ideology in the interests of recruiting the Sunni population of Iraq, and retain the ability to conduct terrorist activities in a number of regions of the country.
On June 8, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein reiterated the national government's commitment to combating terrorism and resolving the issue of displaced Iraqi families kept in the Syrian al-Hawl camp. Fuad Hussein made this statement on June 8 during a meeting with the ministers of the member states of the International Coalition against ISIS in Riyadh. The Iraqi Foreign Minister also said that Syria had handed over about 3,000 Islamic State terrorists to Iraq for prosecution.
Ten radical Islamists were eliminated on June 2 during a series of coordinated operations by the Iraqi Air Force and the National Counter-Terrorism Service. The aircraft carried out a successful air strike on the Hamrin mountains in the central Salah al-Din, neutralizing four terrorists. At the same time, the counter-terrorist service successfully eliminated three militants during another operation. The rest of the militants were killed in an air raid on their camouflaged shelter, also located in the Hamrin mountains.
On June 3, the Iraqi Defense Intelligence Agency announced the capture of a terrorist operating as an ISIS media figure in the western province of Anbar. The authorities believe that the arrest of this terrorist means a serious blow to the propaganda of radical Islamists in the region.
The Iraqi Army Joint Operations Command announced on June 7 that it had killed four ISIS terrorists, including a prominent field commander in the Tarmiyah region north of Baghdad. The operation was carried out by the security forces in cooperation with the military intelligence service of Iraq.
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed on June 11 as a result of attacks by ISIS terrorists in the northern province of Kirkuk, west of the region's administrative center also named Kirkuk. Three more soldiers were injured.
On June 14, Iraqi security forces detained an IS religious figure in the province of Salah al-Din as a result of an operation: the security forces managed to detain two wanted ISIS members, one of whom is the “mufti” of terrorists. He is believed to have issued fatwas (religious injunctions) authorizing the killings of Iraqi security forces and civilians, kidnappings and executions of Iraqi military personnel.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces seized weapons, explosives and equipment belonging to militants in the Navjul region in northern Iraq on June 14.
On June 15, Peshmerga forces conducted a search operation in areas surrounding Mount Karachoh in the Erbil province of Iraqi Kurdistan. The main goal of the operation was to destroy the shelters of militants and strengthen security in areas where remnants of IS militants may be located.
An Iraqi army soldier was killed and one officer was injured during a counter-terrorism operation on June 26 in the province of Kirkuk. Three extremists were surrounded and eliminated.
In June, Iraqi security forces were put on high alert in three of the country's provinces bordering Syria. The reason for this measure was the message about the escape of 37 Islamic State militants from the prison of the city of Ras al-Ain, located in Syrian territory controlled by Turkish troops. All the fugitives are from Iraq. Tight security measures have been introduced in the provinces of Anbar, Ninewa and Dohuk. Increased patrols were carried out along the entire border line.
Representatives of Iraq announced the need to close the al-Hawl camp in Syria. The reason was fears of the revival of the Islamic State. Baghdad called on states that have citizens held in al-Hawl to repatriate them and close the camp, as it serves a base for training IS members. At the moment, there are about 51,000 people held in the camp, most of them Syrians or Iraqis. Also, the vast majority of people in al-Hawl are family members of IS militants, who are considered their most ardent supporters.
In early June, the Syrian Kurds handed over 50 former Islamic State fighters of Iraqi origin and 168 family members to the Iraqi authorities.