FTO activities in Iraq
In March 2023, attacks by Islamic State militants continued in various parts of Iraq.
In general, IS is currently unable to carry out any major assaults. The group has lost the logistical and human resources that it once possessed, and its capabilities are severely limited. The militants confine themselves to attacks on civilians and law enforcement officers using small groups and carry out sabotage against infrastructure.
Based on the intelligence available to the Iraqi special services, the total number of IS gangs remaining in Iraq is estimated to be about 400-500 people. It is reported that groups of militants are hiding mainly in remote desert areas of three or four provinces. At the same time, IS tries to recruit volunteers, but the rate of their arrival is much lower than when the group controlled the areas in Syria and Iraq with a population of up to 10 million people. The Islamic State is no longer able to attract enough supporters. However, according to the UN, there are about 5,000 more IS fighters and their supporters operating in Syria and Iraq. It is also worth remembering about “sleeping cells,” which are quite difficult to identify. Thus, the group can carry out separate terrorist attacks for many more years, despite regular special operations by law enforcement agencies.
However, despite the decline in activity, the Islamic State continues to pose a real threat to the security forces and the population of Iraq. The jihadists are still able to carry out sustained subversive activities and use their ideology in the interests of recruiting the Sunni population of Iraq, and retain the ability to conduct terrorist attacks in a number of regions of the country.
On March 16, the head of the US Central Command General Michael Kurilla said that “ISIS is not defeated, and it will continue to plan attacks while setting conditions for a resurgence in Iraq and Syria.” According to the general's assessment, “Pressure from Iraqi counterterrorism forces helps maintain Iraq’s significant gains against the group, but ISIS’s ability to surge attacks during key periods indicates significant latent capabilities.” ISIS fighters are hiding in the countryside, especially those not controlled by Iraqi and Kurdish security forces.
In March, ISIS fighters were most active in the provinces of Diyala, Salah al-Din and the northern province of Kirkuk.
Three ISIS terrorists were eliminated on March 2 in the western province of Anbar.
On March 4, Kurdish Peshmerga forces carried out an operation against Islamic State terrorists in the Karachokh mountains of Makhmur district, south of Erbil. The operation was aimed at finding and destroying jihadist hideouts and securing the area.
Pro-Iranian Shia militias Al-Hashd al-Shaabi eliminated 20 ISIS terrorists in Diyala province on March 5 with UAV strikes.
Six ISIS terrorists were detained on March 5 in the province of Salah al-Din during an operation carried out by the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency under the Iraqi Interior Ministry. The detained militants arranged bombings in residential buildings and made assassination attempts on members of the security forces. On the same day, Peshmerga units found an ISIS weapons cache in the Garmiyan district of Salah al-Din province. Kurdish forces have seized several 120mm mortar rounds that the militants planned to use for terrorist attacks.
On 7 March, eight people were killed in an explosion and subsequent armed attack in Diyala province. In one of the settlements of the province, an explosive device detonated, and then an ambulance was attacked.
On March 8, the Iraqi security service announced the elimination of three ISIS terrorists as a result of airstrikes by tactical F-16 fighters of the Iraqi Air Force. The bombing took place in the Tuz-Khurmatu district of Salah al-Din province.
On March 12, Iraqi security forces eliminated 22 ISIS fighters, including one of its leaders, in Diyala province. All the eliminated criminals were carrying belts with explosives. It is reported that “due to counter-terrorism measures, ISIS activity in the province has decreased significantly.” Earlier, on March 11, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reported that as a result of security operations 85 people were detained, including on charges of involvement in terrorism, and 73 weapons were confiscated in Diyala province.
On March 13, Iraqi intelligence agencies arrested 11 Islamic State militants in the provinces of Baghdad, Kirkuk, Maysan (in the south) and Salah al-Din.
On March 14, the Iraqi Air Force launched a strike on a shelter belonging to IS militants in Salah al-Din province.
On March 20, Iraqi security forces eliminated an IS militant cell consisting of six militants, north of Baghdad. The operation was carried out in the vicinity of the city of Et-Tarmiya. It is reported that one of the militants was a major supplier of weapons and explosives. They were responsible for a number of attacks, including on law enforcement officials, and provided logistical support to other terrorists.
On March 23, the command of the 7th division of the Iraqi Armed Forces conducted a large-scale operation in the west of Anbar province against the remnants of terrorist groups.
On March 24, Iraqi Air Force planes launched air strikes on ISIS targets and caves in Diyala province.
On March 29, Iraqi special forces carried out a counter-terrorist operation in Diyala province.
More than 60,000 people from more than 50 countries are currently detained in al-Hawl camp in Syria, according to the Iraqi National Security Directorate. Among them are 25,000 Iraqis, including 20,000 minors under the age of 18. According to an agreement between the Iraqi authorities and the Kurdish SDF alliance, which controls al-Hawl, the Iraqi government has started repatriation of Iraqi families of ISIS supporters from Syria to their homeland in 2021. In Iraq this process is causing serious concern, as many public figures consider it a ticking bomb that threatens the stability of the entire country.