Update on ISIS activities in Iraq
In May, attacks by Islamic State militants continued in various parts of the country.
Iraqi security forces are constantly working to identify and destroy radical militants who have gone underground, hiding, as a rule, in urban and remote areas. The construction of a wire fence on the Iraqi-Syrian border continues.
ISIS supporters are reportedly trying to restore the terrorist group's capabilities in the areas surrounding Baghdad, “but they are only likely to succeed north of Baghdad, where local conditions are more favourable for the group.” ISIS “can generate local support north of Baghdad by appealing to communities threatened by abuse and harassment fr om Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia militias, which have threatened to commit sectarian cleansing against Sunni communities” so terrorists can find support among the local population and resupply their cells.
The areas around the city are a series of semi-urban and agricultural settlements called the Baghdad Belts, which have historically been used by al-Qaeda in Iraq and ISIS to carry out attacks on the capital.
The northern belt, including Tarmiyah, a key Sunni city, remains a fertile ground for ISIS influence due to the influence of Iranian-backed Shia militias calling for religious cleansing.
A similar situation is observed in the southern part of the Baghdad belt, wh ere Iranian-backed Iraqi militias carried out sectarian cleansing in Jurf al-Sakhr. At the same time, “ISIS cells in the southern belts suffer fr om lack of resources, poor operational security, and dependence on a long, third-rate supply line through uninhabited and rugged desert terrain,” making active operations difficult.
Thus, “ISIS cells in Tarmiyah are well resourced and resilient compared to those south of Baghdad. The Islamic State is providing resources for these efforts, using support areas in Wadi al-Thartar and the northern part of the Anbar Desert to support operations north of Baghdad.” Overall, ISIS is “slowly rebuilding in northern Baghdad following a series of cleansing operations by Iraqi security forces in February and March 2023 that forced ISIS supporters to temporarily suspend activities in the area.” In particular, it is reported that ISIS “resumed operations against local armed groups in early May after a two-month break.”
In general, despite the decrease in activity, the Islamic State still poses a material 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 carry out terrorist attacks in a number of provinces of the country.
On May 2, in the south-eastern Maysan province, the Iraqi armed forces carried out a counter-terrorist operation. Its purpose was to arrest wanted persons and confiscate illegal weapons and ammunition.
On May 4, Iraqi Air Force F-16 tactical fighters attacked ISIS militants in the Wadi al-Shai area, in the northern Kirkuk province. The airstrike eliminated ISIS members and destroyed several of their homes.
On May 11, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced the death of an officer in a shootout with militants in Samarra city in the central Salah al-Din province. In addition, on the same day, the military organized an operation to disrupt an attack on a police station in the Al-Mutasim district of the same province.
On May 21, two fighters of the Al-Hashd al-Ashairi militia (part of the Shia Al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia) were killed and two more were injured as a result of a terrorist attack in the city of Al-Tarmiya, north of Baghdad.
On May 23, security forces detained 18 people on suspicion of involvement in terrorism in the Kurdish province of Erbil.
On May 27, in the western Anbar province, an explosion was reported in a guest house wh ere representatives of Al-Hashad al-Shaabi were staying. One of the militia members was killed, another person was wounded. ISIS is believed to be behind the bombing.
An Iraqi military post was shelled by unknown persons on the morning of May 30. The incident took place on the Saudi section of the state border. The attack is believed to have been carried out by ISIS fighters. The shelling was carried out fr om the territory of Iraq, not Saudi Arabia.
On May 17, a delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense visited Sulaymaniyah wh ere they held meetings with the command of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The meetings took place in the presence of representatives of the forces of The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The parties discussed the establishment of two joint brigades in the disputed areas of Iraq, and also discussed the planning of coordinated operations in the disputed territories with the support of the Iraqi Air Force to address the continuing security threats posed by IS militants. The commanders of the Diyala, Kirkuk and Tuz-Khurmatu divisions of the Iraqi army expressed their readiness to coordinate with the Peshmerga forces and promised air support during any joint operations.