Thirty ISIS militants in Kirkuk's Hamrin Mountains were killed by Iraqi security forces in the first week of 2025, coinciding with the 104th anniversary of the Iraqi army, said Major General Saleh Harz Nasser, commander of operations in Kirkuk, Shafaq News reported on January 9.

"The security forces found the bodies of 13 ISIS militants after the precise airstrikes of the Iraqi Air Force," Nasser said. He stressed the determination of Iraqi forces, saying, "We have dealt a critical blow to the terrorist organization and will ensure that they have no ground left to operate. We will burn the ground under their feet."

In 2024, Iraq stepped up its counter-terrorism operations, eliminating numerous ISIS cells and neutralizing senior leaders.

Although ISIS suffered a territorial defeat in 2017, the group remains active in Iraq, particularly in the “Triangle of Death” (Kirkuk, Saladin, and Diyala). Its sleeper cells keep using guerrilla tactics, including assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion, to destabilize the region.