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ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

A place to talk about domestic politics in Middle East (Iran, Iraq , Turkey, Syria) Also includes topics about Assyrian, Armenian, Chaldean .

Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Jul 20, 2021 8:10 pm

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Sectarian hashtags spread on Twitter

Less than 24 hours after 30 people were killed in a bombing in a Shiite neighbourhood in Baghdad, sectarian hashtags have been trending on Twitter, describing Sunnis as “terrorists” and calling for Sunni areas near Baghdad to be emptied

A bomb ripped through Sadr City, a Shiite-majority part of the capital, on Monday, in an attack which would be claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS). Thirty people were killed in the attack, according to Iraq's Security Media Cell.

On Tuesday, the hashtag #Tarmiyah_blows_us_up went viral on Twitter with more than 21,000 tweets promoting a claim that the Sunni city, north of Baghdad, is an “incubator of terrorism”. Another hashtag, #ISIS_is_Sunni, has also gained traction.

Many accounts sharing the two hashtags appear to support Iran-backed militias and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic). Most accounts had pictures of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and PMF deputy Abu Madhi al Muhandis who were assassinated in Baghdad last year.

A narrative of Sunnis cooperating with ISIS has been propagated since 2014, when the terror group took control of swathes of Iraq and Syria, and has been was widely used in Iraq by Shia MPs, parties, and militia leaders.

“Today, the Shiite fighter is being slaughtered for the sake of the son of Anbar, and I am asking for balance here. When they kill seven Shiites, I want to see seven Sunnis killed as well,” Hanan al-Fatlawy, a former MP who served as a spokesperson for the state of law coalition, said in April 2014.

“A dominant narrative on Iraq especially since taking back territories from ISIS is the black and white portrayal of Sunnis as collaborators with Jihadists and Shi'a as the loyal defenders of the nation. This narrative has been advanced by the most known commentators on Iraqi politics and security both Western and Iraqi/of Iraqi origin,” journalist Rasha al Aqeedi tweeted on Saturday.

A tweet that resurfaced on social media on Tuesday from journalist Ahmed Abdel-Sada, a prominent supporter of the PMF and militia groups, called for Tarmiyah to be “de-populated.”

“There is no solution to the chronic dilemma of terrorism in Tarmiyah except by reproducing the experience of Jurf al-Sakhar and turning it into a “de-populated area,” he tweeted in July 2020.

In May, a senior official within the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia called for displacing civilians in Sunni areas in Salahaddin and Diyala.

"The security situation in Tarmiyah and al-Mukhaisa village in Diyala will not stabilize without a reproduction of the Jurf al-Nasr experiment," Abu Ali al-Askari said in a post on Telegram.

Jurf al-Sakhar, renamed Jurf al-Naser in 2017, is a predominantly Sunni town in Babil province, central Iraq. It was evacuated of its more than 120,000 residents over the course of the war against ISIS, leaving only Iraqi security forces and the PMF in the town.

In its quarterly report on anti-ISIS operations, the Pentagon said “Shia militias oppress local Sunni populations” in Salahaddin province, another area where ISIS is active and militants take advantage of sectarian rifts.

Yassin al-Bakri, professor of political science at al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, told Rudaw English on Tuesday that the sectarian rhetoric is used by some political parties to hold onto power.

"The explosion in Sadr City yesterday is nothing but a pretext that these parties use in order to implement their agendas with their continuous attempts to bring a demographic change in Sunni areas. They are trying to continue the state of instability," Bakri said.

He added that this plot of Sunni vs Shiite has become rejected by most Iraqis, and there is no room for sectarian resurgence in Iraq because "the game has been revealed."

The PMF was established in 2014 following a fatwa – or religious call to action – from Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in order to fight ISIS.

When ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017, many liberated areas fell under the control of the PMF. This includes a number of groups widely considered proxies to implement Iran’s political and military interests in Iraq, who have been accused of human rights violations, including the kidnapping and killing of activists.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/200720212
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:05 pm

ISIS attacks increase

Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in Iraq and Syria increased between April to July as they continue to operate a “low-level” but “well-entrenched” insurgency in rural areas, the Pentagon said in its latest quarterly report

“ISIS-claimed attacks increased compared to previous quarters, with a notable rise during Ramadan” said the report released on Tuesday, covering events between April 1 to June 30.

ISIS tactics “to conduct hit-and-run and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks; exploit sectarian, political and security gaps; and target vulnerable residents of displaced persons camps for recruitment” remained unchanged, however, “the lethality of ISIS attacks declined, possibly because of constrained resources and inexperienced members.”

The militant group “probably has tens of millions of dollars in cash reserves dispersed across Iraq, Syria, and Turkey,” according to the Department of Treasury.

The group collects money through “extortion of oil smuggling networks in eastern Syria, collecting kidnapping ransoms, looting, and possibly the operation of front companies in both Iraq and Syria.”

The treasury department added that ISIS members in Iraq transferred money to militants in northeast Syria (Rojava), including to al-Hol and other displacement camps. “Treasury said that ISIS often relied on facilitators in Turkey and in other financial centers, as well as on virtual currencies and online fundraising platforms.”

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2019. However, it remains a threat on both sides of the border. The two sides are increasing their collaboration in order to deny ISIS space to operate.

The report also addressed Iran-backed militia attacks on US interests in Iraq, indicating that “the increase in attacks on US forces by Iran-aligned militias continued to affect the OIR [Operation Inherent Resolve] mission and US diplomatic activity in Iraq” and continued to “threaten” coalition progress during the quarter.

“There have been nine indirect fire attacks on facilities housing US personnel and 28 IED strikes against Coalition logistical convoys in Iraq” from April to the end of June, according to the report. The US Central Command reported that “there were at least five UAV attacks against US facilities in Iraq.”

Iraqi, Peshmerga and Kurdish forces in Syria often launch operations to fight ISIS cells on both sides of the border.

In late July, Iraqi security forces launched an operation in Kirkuk aiming to clear out remnants that are active in the south of the province.

Three people were killed and seven injured in an attack on a funeral in Salahaddin province last week.

In July, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said five ISIS suspects were arrested in Erbil who were allegedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the city before Eid al-Adha. ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly Baghdad suicide bombing the day before the holiday began.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/03082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:15 pm

ISIS sets up fake checkpoint

Suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants set up a fake checkpoint in an area where there is a security vacuum between Kurdish and federal forces and abducted at least five people, according to security sources and family members. Several people were also injured

At least nine people were traveling from Erbil back to their home in Makhmour, a town 60 kilometres southwest of Erbil. They were stopped at a fake checkpoint on the road.

“A group from the ISIS terrorist organization set up a checkpoint near Kandar village on the Makhmour road, injuring two people and arresting a number of others,” Kurdistan Region’s counterterrorism units said in a statement on Facebook early Saturday.

Footage sent to Rudaw by relatives of the injured at Erbil Emergency Hospital appears to show three people receiving medical treatment.

“They were returning from Erbil at 11pm [on Friday]. We are from Makhmour,” Ali, father of one of the wounded, told Rudaw in front of the hospital.

“They [ISIS militants] stopped them at their checkpoint in Kandar village. When they realized they were from ISIS but in Iraqi army uniform with Iraqi flag, they tried to escape but were fired at until they reached the Asayish checkpoint,” he said the injured had told him about the incident.

“I passed the road one hour before them, but there was nothing,” he added.

Ali said the injured are stable and will soon undergo surgery.

Rudaw has learnt that two of the people abducted are Kurds and the others are Arabs.

Makhmour lies within an area disputed between the federal and regional governments, resulting in a security void between the two forces that ISIS has exploited. In May, the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces opened a joint coordination centre in Makhmour, one of four designed to improve collaboration and intelligence sharing in order to bring some security to the disputed areas.

ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria increased between April and July as they continue to operate a “low-level” but “well-entrenched” insurgency in rural areas, the Pentagon said in its latest quarterly report released on Tuesday.

ISIS tactics “to conduct hit-and-run and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks; exploit sectarian, political and security gaps; and target vulnerable residents of displaced persons camps for recruitment” remained unchanged. However, “the lethality of ISIS attacks declined, possibly because of constrained resources and inexperienced members,” the report added.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/07082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Aug 15, 2021 12:31 am

Anti-ISIS operation

Iraqi forces on Saturday morning launched a large-scale security operation to clear out Islamic State (ISIS) remnants in northern Baghdad, the military’s media office announced. ISIS this summer has carried out a campaign of attacks on electricity infrastructure, contributing to power shortages that have plunged parts of central and southern Iraq into the dark

An operation to "track down ISIS terrorists" in areas north of the capital started at 6 in the morning, the Security Media Cell tweeted. Iraq’s air force and army are being supported in the air by the global coalition against ISIS.

Four ISIS members were arrested by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) in various operations across the country, top military spokesperson Yehia Rasool announced on Friday.

Coalition spokesperson for the global coalition against ISIS Col. Wayne Marotto said Iraq’s forces are maintaining a “relentless rhythm of ops to ensure Daesh [ISIS] never resurges.”

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but remains a threat on both sides of the border, carrying out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

This summer, the group has claimed dozens of attacks on the country’s electricity grid, blowing up pylons. The attacks contributed to a blackout that left millions in central and southern Iraq without power during a heat wave in July.

Iraqi forces have reported thwarting tens of attacks on the electricity towers and in an emergency security meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the establishment of a crisis cell to ensure the power grid is protected.

“The hand of terror and the parties that don’t want the good of Iraq are trying to shuffle the cards by striking the electricity transmission towers,” Kadhimi said in a tweet following the meeting, adding work to repair the damage continues.

In its propaganda magazine, ISIS claims to have carried out 134 attacks on electricity towers between June 6 and August 10. Its claimed activities have not decreased, despite Iraq’s security efforts, as the group said it carried out 33 attacks on power pylons in the last week alone.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/14082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Aug 16, 2021 2:35 am

ISIS emir arrested in Deir ez-Zor

An Islamic State (ISIS) emir was arrested in a joint security operation conducted by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and international coalition forces in western Deir ez-Zor, local media and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Saturday

The SDF and coalition forces clashed with the emir, an Iraqi, for nearly 40 minutes after storming his house. He was later arrested and his house blown up, SOHR said.

The joint operation was supported by four helicopters and a fighter jet, it added. The operation was also reported by the North Press Agency (NPA), an outlet close to the SDF.

ISIS seized control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The last of its so-called caliphate was defeated in Syria in 2019, but the group remains a threat on both sides of the border, particularly in Deir ez-Zor, which is controlled by both the SDF and regime forces.

The SDF frequently conducts security operations against ISIS militants. The force launched 34 operations against the group in the first half of this year, in which 245 suspects were arrested and three others were killed.

Many of the operations have been focused in the border areas where in late June they arrested 22 ISIS suspects, and 24 across 53 locations in late May.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/15082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:43 am

ISIS suspects arrested across Iraq

Iraqi forces arrested several Islamic State (ISIS) suspects across the country on Sunday, a top military spokesperson said, with state media reporting a suspected ISIS leader was killed as forces raided his home north of Baghdad

Intelligence forces raided Hassan Ismail’s house in the al-Khazna district of north Baghdad, state media reported, claiming he was killed in ensuing clashes.

Seven other ISIS militants were arrested in Nineveh province on the same day, Iraq's top military spokesperson Yehia Rasool said in a tweet.

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but remains a threat on both sides of the border, carrying out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

The forces also seized materials and explosives from two other suspects that were arrested in Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmartu. Three ISIS hideouts were also destroyed.

Iraqi forces on Saturday morning launched a large-scale security operation to clear out the group’s remnants in northern Baghdad. A number of suspects were arrested.

Four ISIS members were arrested by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) in various operations across the country on Friday.

The operations follow numerous ISIS attacks against the country's electricity grid, leaving millions across central and southern Iraq without power.

Iraqi forces have reported thwarting tens of attacks on the electricity towers, and in an emergency security meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the establishment of a crisis cell to ensure the power grid is protected.

In its propaganda magazine, ISIS claims to have carried out 134 attacks on electricity towers between June 6 and August 10. Its claimed activities have not decreased, despite Iraq’s security efforts, as the group said it carried out 33 attacks on power pylons in the last week alone.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/16082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:50 pm

34 ISIS arrested re activity in Raqqa

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday announced the arrest of 34 people in relation to Islamic State (ISIS) activity during its most recent security operation in in Western Kurdistan, backed by the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the SDF conducted “large-scale sweeps and raids on Wednesday morning in specific areas in the western countryside of Raqqa,” read a statement from the SDF

The forces targeted an ISIS cell in the area, arresting four suspected members of the cell, as well as 30 other suspects that provided “logistical support and shelter.”

The city of Raqqa served as the de facto capital of ISIS when the group controlled parts of Syria in 2014. It was subjected to heavy aerial and ground offensives in the battle to liberate the city.

The forces also seized weapons, ammunition, and military uniforms found with the cell.

ISIS seized control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The last of its so-called caliphate was defeated in Syria in 2019, but the group remains a threat on both sides of the border, particularly in Deir ez-Zor, which is controlled by both the SDF and regime forces.

The SDF frequently conducts security operations against ISIS militants. The force launched 34 operations against the group in the first half of this year, in which 245 suspects were arrested and three others were killed.

Many of the operations have been focused in the border areas where in late June they arrested 22 ISIS suspects, and 24 across 53 locations in late May.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /190820211
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:09 pm

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ISIS hideout destroyed in Baghdad

Iraqi forces on Thursday destroyed an Islamic State (ISIS) hideout in northern Baghdad on the sixth day of a large-scale security operation launched earlier this week to clear out the group’s remnants north of the capital

A hideout used by ISIS remnants was destroyed in northern Baghdad’s Tarmiyah district, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) told Iraqi state media.

Iraqi forces launched a security operation to clear out remants of the terror group in Tarmiyah district.

They arrested one ISIS suspect and found three hideouts in orchards in the district on Wednesday, according to Yehia Rasool, Iraq’s top military spokesperson.

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but remains a threat on both sides of the border, carrying out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

Tarmiyah is vulnerable to ISIS attacks, with four soldiers killed in an IED explosion in the district in May. A security source blamed the attack on the terror group.

Five ISIS militants were killed in an ambush in Tarmiyah in February.

The terror group has carried out several attacks this summer, particularly on Iraq’s electricity grid, contributing to power shortages that have plunged parts of central and southern Iraq into the dark.

Security forces have thwarted tens of attacks on the electricity towers, and in an emergency security meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered the establishment of a crisis cell to ensure the power grid is protected.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/19082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Aug 24, 2021 1:44 am

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Terrorists’ abduct orphans from al-Hol

Two orphaned children have been abducted from al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Western Kurdistan) by “terrorists” posing as internal security forces (Asayish), the Kurdish force said late on Monday, adding they have also stolen money from camp residents

“Terrorist groups and sleeper cells at al-Hol camp, wearing military uniform similar to ours, have paralyzed the residents of the camp, stolen their money and defrauded them, claiming that they are affiliated to our forces,” read a statement from the Asayish, which added that Ruqiah Mohammed, 4, and Samar Mohammed, 3 were abducted by the groups.

“We are monitoring and investigating the movements of these groups and they will be arrested soon,” it added.

Al-Hol is home to nearly 60,000 people, mostly women and children with suspected links to Islamic State (ISIS) militants. The SDF and Asayish launched an operation in late March targeting ISIS sleeper cells after a spate of murders in the camp, arresting more than 150 people.

Concerns have been repeatedly raised about the fragile security situation in the camp, particularly for children - prompting calls for foreign countries to repatriate their nationals, which have mostly fallen on deaf ears.

Earlier this month, Rojava authorities handed over two Palestinian orphans to the Palestinian consulate in Erbil. Albania repatriated 20 orphans from al-Hol in July.

Human rights groups have previously warned of squalid conditions in the camp, described as “filthy and often inhuman” by Human Rights Watch.

Last year, children in al-Hol told Save the Children of their fear of being killed in the camp.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /230820211
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:23 am

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Iraqi forces seize rockets in Kirkuk

Iraqi forces in Kirkuk on Tuesday arrested six people, seized a cache of explosives and rockets, and uncovered a terrorist den

“The Joint Operations Command in Kirkuk arrested six wanted people based on different legal articles, and found three explosive devices, six different rockets, a terrorist den, as well as 110 60mm mortar fuses,” Iraq’s Security Media Cell said late Tuesday.

The operation took place the same day several mortars landed near villages in Erbil’s Qoshtapa sub-district. Qoshtapa lies around 20 kilometers south of Erbil city, along the main road connecting Erbil and Kirkuk.

A source from the local Dibis police in Kirkuk, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Rudaw they confiscated a vehicle near Amsha village. The vehicle was found with two rockets on it.

Kirkuk is one of the many disputed territories stolen from Kurdistan by Baghdad Arabs. The Islamic State group (ISIS) uses these disputed territories as places of hideout and to conduct hit and run attacks against civilian and military targets.

The security void in Kirkuk has also been by groups to carry out rocket attacks. In May, security forces seized five rockets that were “set to launch” in the province’s Altun Kupri district.

Late last month, Iraqi security forces launched a wide anti-ISIS operation in Kirkuk, and Iraqi and Kurdish forces have set up Joint Coordination Centers in disputed areas to increase their cooperation and eliminate the security vacuum, including in Kirkuk.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/25082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:21 pm

Macron warns of ISIS threat

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday morning reaffirmed France’s support in Iraq's fight against terror during a visit to Baghdad, warning that the Islamic State (ISIS) remains a threat

"We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh [ISIS] remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government," he said in the presser with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Macron is in Iraq for the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, a summit held in coordination with France that will bring together nine regional countries. Macron arrived early on Saturday and was welcomed by PM Kadhimi at Baghdad International Airport.

Both countries are “working on economic cooperation and partnership in the fields of power, oil, development, education, and health,” Kadhimi said in the joint press conference.

Macron reiterated France’s commitment to supporting Iraq, noting that his country has allocated a budget to support the stability of areas liberated from ISIS.

He also met with President Barham Salih where they discussed cooperation and strengthening relations between the two countries.

“France continues to stand with Iraq in the face of challenges,” Macron said in a press conference with Salih, noting that economic cooperation with Iraq is essential.

Iraq is holding the regional conference after years of conflict and foreign influence within its borders, hoping the summit will bolster its standing as a regional mediator, as well as creating economic and social ties.

The leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates all arrived to Baghdad on Saturday afternoon.

Macron noted that holding the conference is an important step in setting the framework for “joint cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”

He also expressed his support for the upcoming Iraqi elections scheduled for October 10.

Early elections were one of the demands of protesters who took to the streets in October 2019 across central and southern Iraq.

The Kurdistan Region will welcome the French leader in Erbil on Sunday, where he will meet with President Nechirvan Barzani and a number of top officials.

Barzani and Macron met in Paris earlier this year, where they discussed a range of issues, including the continued threat of ISIS and relations between Iraqi army and the Peshmerga.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/28082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:25 pm

ISIS attacks on Kurdish land

The Islamic State (ISIS) has carried out over one hundred attacks in territory disputed between Baghdad and Erbil since the beginning of the year, killing and injuring hundreds of people, a Peshmerga official told Rudaw on Monday

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    The lands often referred to as disputed lands are in point of fact, lands STOLEN from the Kurds by the deleted expletive Arabs
ISIS has conducted around 134 attacks in the past seven months in areas of Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk and Makhmour, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan.

“Most of the attacks are in the areas in Diyala or areas between Kifri and Tuz Khurmatu, or areas in eastern and western Kirkuk,” Yawar added, noting that parts of Makhmour have also seen an increase in attacks.

At least 552 were killed, injured or abducted by the group during the same period, he said.

ISIS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in December 2017. However, remnants of the group continue to operate in the disputed territories, returning to earlier insurgency tactics including ambushes, kidnappings and targeted killings.

ISIS has exploited a security vacuum in territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, carrying out frequent attacks. Peshmerga and Iraqi forces launched a joint military operation in the disputed areas earlier in July, and have set up joint coordination centers to fight ISIS.

The Ministry of Peshmerga announced in July talks are ongoing about the formation of two joint brigades of Iraqi and Peshmerga forces to counter ISIS remnants in disputed areas. Peshmerga Chief of Staff Jamal Eminki said that forces will be deployed as soon as both the Iraqi and Kudish governments agree on the budget.

ISIS set up a fake checkpoint earlier this month in Makhmour, abducting at least five people and injured three others. Two of the kidnapped were later released.

The increase in attacks aims at “disrupting the conditions” in Iraq ahead of the parliamentary elections on October 10, according to Yawar.

He also noted the militant group’s increased attacks on electricity pylons, especially in Diyala.

This summer, the group has claimed dozens of attacks on the country’s electricity grid. In its propaganda magazine, ISIS claims to have carried out 145 attacks on electricity towers between June 6 and August 30.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/30082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Sep 01, 2021 12:25 am

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ISIS attacks Kirkuk village

Islamic State group (ISIS) fighters attacked a village in southwest Kirkuk early on Tuesday, killing livestock, according to villagers. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they have targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces

At around 1:30 am, ISIS fighters attacked Dogshman village in the Rashad sub-district of southern Kirkuk province. Villagers told Rudaw they locked themselves in their homes while the militants burned houses and vehicles, and killed cows, sheep, and goats.

Hussein Zedan lost his father during an uptick of ISIS activity two years ago in the same area. Today, he lost almost all his property. “The losses are huge,” he told Rudaw.

“The fighters came to the village. We could not leave our houses as we were stuck. They were walking around the houses and wanted us to come out, but we did not,” he said. When the villagers did not come out of their homes, the militants attacked their livestock and properties.

    At least 25 cows and seven sheep and goats were killed, and five cars and tractors and two houses were burned. Villagers said ISIS fighters used rocket-propelled grenades
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on its propaganda channel on Telegram, saying they had targeted members of Sunni brigades of the PMF. It claimed the vehicles and houses they set on fire belonged to PMF members.

Villager Khatab Mustafa said they want the Iraqi government to provide them with security, hoping that ISIS will leave the village alone if it is under the protection of government forces. “If such attacks continue, the village will be evacuated,” he said.

“There should be night vision cameras, people should be armed, and security checkpoints should be increased,” he said.

There is a security checkpoint near the village, but their forces arrived too late to stop the ISIS militants.

Kirkuk province lies within disputed areas claimed by both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. There is a security gap between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in these areas that ISIS exploits as a safe haven from which to launch attacks on civilian and military targets. ISIS has carried out 134 attacks in these areas so far this year.

Baghdad and Erbil are working to close this gap. This summer, they established joint coordination centres in the disputed provinces, including Kirkuk, to improve their cooperation and they are in talks to create joint brigades.

Iraqi forces daily carry out operations against ISIS. On Tuesday, security forces arrested 19 terror suspects in Kirkuk, according to a military statement.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/31082021
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:02 pm

ISIS attack near Kirkuk city

Islamic State (ISIS) militants attacked a village west of the city of Kirkuk late Wednesday night, kidnapping one civilian and injuring several others, according to security and border forces

Clashes erupted between the group and residents of old Shahal village, leading to the injuries of two people. While driving the injured to the hospitals, a bomb planted on the road detonated injuring five more civilians.

“They [ISIS] were waiting for the Iraqi forces to come and for the bomb to detonate, but when this house brought the injured, the bomb detonated,” resident of new Shahal village Muayad Ramazan, told Rudaw’s Hardi Mohammed on Thursday.

“They injured seven of them and abducted one,” Sabeer Osman, a relative of one of the injured told Rudaw, noting that the injured were taken to Erbil and one is in a critical situation.

ISIS concurrently attacked the new Shahal village, injuring a member of the Iraqi forces and killing another.

An Iraqi official, who preferred to stay anonymous for safety reasons, claimed at least 15 members of the terror group had made their way toward the city from Qarachokh mountain.

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, but ISIS sleeper cells are particularly active in parts of northern and western Iraq that are disputed by Erbil and Baghdad, including in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahaddin. The group takes advantage of a lack of coordination between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in these rugged areas.

Militants have conducted around 134 attacks in disputed territories so far this year, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw on Monday, noting that most of the attacks took place in areas between Kifri and Tuz Khurmatu, as well as in eastern and western Kirkuk.

On Tuesday, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on a village southwest of Kirkuk. It used rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), according to villagers, killing at least 25 cows and seven sheep and goats, and burning five cars and tractors and two houses. It also launched a mortar attack on a village near Kifri town.

Baghdad and Erbil say they are working to close the security gap. This summer, they established four joint coordination centres in the disputed provinces to improve cooperation and are in talks to create joint brigades.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/020920211
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Re: ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:55 am

Is Worldwide ISIS Support Growing

New Zealand supermarket stabbing was terrorist attack

Police in New Zealand shot and killed a "violent extremist" after he stabbed and wounded at least six people in an Auckland supermarket.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the incident was a "terrorist attack" carried out by a Sri Lankan national who was under police surveillance.

    The man, who has not been identified, was a supporter of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group
Police killed the man within 60 seconds of the attack on Friday.

"What happened today was despicable, it was hateful it was wrong," Ms Ardern said in a news conference. "It was carried out by an individual, not a faith."

Of the six wounded people, three are in a critical condition and one is in a serious condition, health officials say.

"The hospital staff are doing everything they can to preserve their lives," the mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, told the BBC.

"We're all horrified by what's happened. But... justice came pretty swiftly for the offender," he added.

How did the attack unfold?

It took place at the Countdown supermarket at LynnMall in the district of New Lynn on Friday afternoon.

The attacker reportedly took a large knife from a display cabinet in the store and went on a stabbing spree. Police surveillance teams had been close by the entire time.

One witness told news outlet Stuff NZ that the supermarket was a scene of hysteria, and footage shared online showed people fleeing before the sound of gun shots could be heard.

"People were running out, hysterically, just screaming, yelling, scared," the witness said, adding that he saw an elderly man lying on the ground with a stab wound.

What do we know about the attacker?

The man, whose identity cannot be revealed due to court suppression orders, arrived in New Zealand in October 2011. He became a person of national security interest in 2016.

He had been under round-the-clock monitoring and heavy surveillance due to concerns about his ideology. He was known to multiple agencies, and was also on a terror watchlist.

Ms Ardern said that until Friday, he had not committed any offence. When asked about the man's motivations, she said they were "ISIS-inspired".

Questions have been raised about why action against him was not taken before six people were injured - especially since he was under close surveillance.

"The reality is, that when you are surveilling someone on a 24/7 basis, it is not possible to be immediately next to them at all times. The staff intervened as quickly as they could and they prevented further injury in what was a terrifying situation," said Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.

He added that the attacker was very surveillance-conscious, and that teams needed to maintain a distance to be effective.

Authorities are confident the attacker was acting alone and that there is no further danger to the community, according to Mr Coster.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58405213
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