ISIS growing stronger and more organised in Middle East

[Anthea]

Anti-ISIS Operation near Kirkuk

Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces on Sunday carried out a joint operation with the Iraqi army in areas near the disputed Kurdish province of Kirkuk in pursuit of Islamic State (ISIS) remnants, a statement said

The joint operation was conducted by the Peshmerga Ministry’s 22nd Infantry Brigade with the 31st Brigade of the 8th Division of the Iraqi Army to “execute a meticulously planned operation in the Qara Hassan - Laylan region earlier today,” the Ministry said said in a statement.

This multi-phase operation, spanning seven hours, aimed to eliminate potential threats and disrupt any activities related to the Islamic State in the targeted area. They combed through the villages of Jawal Bor, Cham Zangana, Qishlakhi Kon, Khadr Beg, and the surrounding border terrain.

In 2017, the Islamic State lost control of all its territory in Iraq. Despite this, the group continues to present a significant danger to both security forces and civilians across most regions of the country.

Last Thursday, Iraqi security forces reported the capture of six terrorists in three provinces as part of their ongoing efforts to eliminate the remaining threat posed by the IS jihadist group.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/820576

[Anthea]

ISIS leader arrested
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested a suspected ISIS leader in Deir ez-Zor on Sunday

The leader is believed to have been involved in smuggling weapons to ISIS cells in the al-Hol camp.

According to the SDF media centre, the ISIS leader was apprehended during an operation in al-Ozba town located in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor.

“The operation was supported by air surveillance and ground support by the international coalition forces,” the SDF stated.

“As a result, our units successfully apprehended one of the ISIS leaders who was involved in transporting explosive materials, weapons and ammunition to the ISIS cells in the al-Hol camp and providing ISIS families with forged IDs.”

Despite ISIS having lost all territorial control in 2019, the group has continued to inflict significant ongoing insurgent activity in the Deir ez-Zor province, particularly in desert areas under Syrian government control, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Syrian soldiers.

The SDF also asserted that the leader was connected to other ISIS emirs in the Turkish-controlled town of Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain).

The al-Hol camp currently accommodates thousands of Iraqi, Syrian, and foreign nationals.

The US-led Coalition against ISIS has pushed for Iraqis in the camp to be repatriated to Iraq.

The co-chair of the External Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Bedran Ciya Kurd on Sunday also discussed the situation in al-Hol camp with former US Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller.

“We discussed several important and complex issues, particularly the fight against terrorism and the situation concerning terrorists and the families of ISIS members who are still held in prisons and camps in northern Syria,” Ciya Kurd posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We also emphasized the necessity to continue international efforts in order to prevent the resurgence of this terrorist organization, which remains a significant threat,” he underlined.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32 ... ested:-SDF

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Five ISIS suspects arrested

Iraqi counterterrorism forces on Monday announced arresting five men suspected of being members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh

The suspects were arrested as a result of an operation carried out by the Iraqi intelligence agency’s counterterrorism units “based on intelligence provided by citizens,” reported Iraq’s security media cell.

The agency said that they had documents indicating that the men were members of the militant group, adding that the suspects had confessed to receiving payment for being members and that their statements have been referred to relevant authorities.

ISIS seized control of vast swathes of land on both sides of the border in 2014 and was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. While the group no longer controls any territory, it continues to pose a serious security risk through bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions.

Thousands of people have been detained across Iraq since 2014 for suspected links to terrorist groups, including ISIS, while hundreds have been executed.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that at least two ISIS operatives were killed and an additional 24 detained in partnered operations with their allies in Iraq during the month of July.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/210820235

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Incoming coalition commander

The new commanding general of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) vows to continue assisting and advising local forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), according to a statement posted on Thursday

Major General Joel B. Vowell officially assumed the position during a change of command ceremony in Baghdad on Tuesday, replacing Major General Matthew McFarlane. The ceremony was presided by CENTCOM Commander General Michael “Erik” Kurrilla.

“We live on the knife’s edge of freedom. Our mission here is to continue the defeat of Daesh [ISIS], help our partner forces get better, and become independent. That will be my focus,” Vowell said at the ceremony, as cited by a statement by Operation Inherent Resolve.

The US-led coalition advises and provides aerial assistance to Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against ISIS. In recent weeks, the SDF has carried out a string of raids against ISIS targets in northeast Syria (Rojava), in coordination with the US-led global coalition.

ISIS seized control of swathes of Syria in 2014 but the group was declared territorially defeated in 2019 after the SDF overran its last bastion in Baghouz. However, the terror group continues to pose a serious risk in the region through hit-and-run attacks, abductions, and bombings.

In its last monthly report, CENTCOM said 31 operations were carried out in July. Twenty of them were in Iraq and the remaining 11 were conducted in Syria.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/24082023

[Anthea]

Four ISIS militants

Iraqi counterterrorism forces on Monday announced they had arrested four suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants in separate operations in three provinces, including through joint cooperation with Kurdish security forces

Iraqi intelligence forces and Erbil-based Kurdish counterterrorism forces arrested a suspected ISIS operative who was an expert in explosives in the so-called “northern section” of the group, the Iraqi counterterrorism service (ICTS) announced on Facebook.

In two separate operations with the Sulaimani-based Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG), two other alleged ISIS members were arrested in Sulaimani province’s Bazyan and Chamchamal towns.

The ICTS also announced the arrest of another ISIS suspect in Kirkuk.

The arrests come as Iraq ramps up its efforts to pursue ISIS remnants in the country in response to escalating militant activities, particularly in areas disputed between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014 but it was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when Kurdish and Iraqi fighters supported by the US-led coalition drove them out of the stretches of land they seized years prior in a brazen offensive.

Despite its territorial defeat, the group continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several Iraqi provinces, particularly those falling in the disputed areas stretching across the provinces of Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala.

On Sunday, an Iraqi jet delivered an airstrike on a “terrorist hideout” in Kirkuk’s Dibis district, the country’s Security Media Cell said.

On Wednesday, Iraqi intelligence forces announced they had arrested three suspected ISIS members in separate operations in Nineveh and Anbar provinces.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/04092023

[Anthea]

Improved security in disputed (STOLEN) territories

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi and Kurdistan Region commanders hail improved security conditions in the disputed (STOLEN) territories as a result of enhanced cooperation between the two forces, top officials told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday

A senior Iraqi military delegation from Tuz Khurmato Operations Command visited the Second Qaratapa-Hamrin Sector in Diyala province and met with senior Peshmerga commanders in the area on Wednesday to follow up on security cooperation and plans.

The Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces have conducted numerous sweeping operations in the province's remote areas, where the ISIS militants had kidnapped shepherds and conducted hit-and-run attacks following the group’s territorial defeat in 2017.

Thanks to the cooperation between the forces, “I can certainly say that our areas are secured 99 percent,” Mardan Salih, the commander of the sector, told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.

Although the group no longer holds territories, it operates in small groups nowadays in the area, the Kurdish commander added.

“Our plans and cooperation are at an excellent level [with Peshmerga forces],” Major General Imad Al-Maliki, the head of Tuz Khurmatu and Sleman Bag Operations Command, told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.

The anti-ISIS operations by the Iraqi forces come as the Global Coalition Against ISIS and the United Nations warned that threat from the group is ongoing despite decreased attacks.

Following the conclusion of the anti-ISIS US-led coalition's combat mission in late 2021, the Iraqi Air Force has increased its air campaign against the remnants of the group.

The terror group occupied approximately one-third of Iraq for nearly three years, including its second-largest city Mosul.

Since the group's self-styled caliphate was destroyed by Kurdish, Iraqi, and international forces, it has regrouped in remote parts of the country. It continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32 ... erritories

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Iraq ISIS supporter arrested in Germany

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities on Wednesday arrested an Iraqi man accused of involvement in the killing of prisoners and the amputation of a person's hand in his homeland as a member of the Islamic State group

The suspect, identified only as Abdel J.S. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in the western city of Wuppertal, federal prosecutors said. He is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and participation in war crimes.

Prosecutors said in a statement that he joined ISIS by June 2014 and in the following months participated twice in the extremist group's “draconian public punishments.” In one case, they said, he was involved in the execution of at least six prisoners. In another, he is accused of providing security while the hand of an alleged thief was amputated.

He and other ISIS fighters also allegedly took a person prisoner and beat and kicked the captive to extract information, the German authorities said.

A judge on Wednesday ordered the suspect held in custody pending a possible indictment.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32 ... mber-of-IS

[Anthea]

Nine ISIS Members Captured

Iraqi security forces on Saturday announced the capture of nine suspected fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group in multiple locations.

"The Directorate General of Intelligence and Security on Saturday set up multiple ambushes in the provinces of Baghdad, Anbar, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Maysan, and Salahaddin, where security forces captured nine suspected Daesh members," Iraqi News Agency reported today, citing remarks from security forces.

Last Wednesday, Iraqi security forces captured three members of the jihadist group in the province of Anbar. In late September, security forces captured two more Islamic State fighters in Anbar province amid expanding anti-terror operations across the country.

The Islamic State maintains a dispersed presence in Iraq, with its operatives consistently hiding themselves in marshlands, caves, and remote rural areas to elude detection. They exhibit heightened activity in the disputed (stolen) Kurdish territories, including in Kirkuk, capitalizing on the security void that emerged when pro-Iranian Hashd al-Shaabi militias assumed control of the province in 2017.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/826858

At this speed ISIS will have been wiped out in another 500 years

[Anthea]

Seven ISIS Fighters Captured Across Iraq

Iraq's security forces on Thursday announced the capture of seven members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in different locations in the country

"The Directorate of Military Intelligence in collaboration with security forces on the ground in multiple ambushes captured seven ISIS fighters in the provinces of Baghdad, Anbar, Nineveh and Salahaddin," Iraqi News Agency reported today, citing a statement from the country's security forces.

Earlier this month, Iraqi security forces reported the apprehension of nine individuals suspected to be associated with the Islamic State. These arrests occurred in various places, including in Baghdad, Anbar, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Maysan, and Salahaddin.

The Islamic State maintains a scattered presence in Iraq, with its members consistently hiding themselves in marshlands, caves, and remote rural areas to avoid detection.

They are particularly active in the disputed Kurdish territories, notably in Kirkuk. This is due to the security vacuum that emerged after pro-Iranian Hashd al-Shaabi militias took control of the province in 2017.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/828229

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Anbar ISIS Attack

Islamic State (ISIS) militants carried out an attack against an Iraqi Army unit in Anbar province, leaving five soldiers either killed or wounded, security sources said on Saturday

The terrorist attack targeted a checkpoint of the army in the village of al-Jaifah in Kubaisa district, where three soldiers were killed and two others injured, the sources added, noting there were also casualties among the journalists, without providing further details in this regard.

Although the Islamic State has been defeated in Iraq since 2017, the extremist group is still considered a threat to civilians and security forces in different parts of the country.

Just last Wednesday, Iraqi military intelligence reported the apprehension of an ISIS leader known as "Khansa" in Nineveh province. This jihadist figure, bearing the nickname Khansa, was a subject of justice inquiry under the provisions of Article 4 of anti-terrorism law in the Shura District of Nineveh.

Moreover, the National Security Service of Iraq, on the other hand, revealed on Wednesday that they had arrested 200 wanted individuals on various charges throughout October:

32 faced allegations related to terrorism

54 were accused of electronic blackmail

57 were involved in drug-related activities

55 individuals were arrested on charges of promoting Saddam Hussein's former Baath regime.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/829089

[Anthea]

UNITAD head meets Kurdish leaders
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD), on Thursday concluded a one-day-visit to the Kurdistan Region, where he reiterated the UN’s commitment to continue its investigations with full respect to the sovereignty of Iraq

SA Ritscher concluded a one-day-visit to #KRI, where he was pleased to meet with H.E. Rebar Ahmed Khalid, Minister of Interior, H.E. @SafeenDizayee Head of @KRG_DFR & @KRG_Coordinator Dr. Dindar Zebari, to discuss recent developments in UNITAD’s work. 1/2
— UNITAD (@UNITAD_Iraq) November 3, 2023

Founded in 2017, UNITAD has been tasked with investigating crimes committed by ISIS members and facilitating their indictment and prosecution in cooperation with both the Iraqi judicial system and international courts.

“SA Ritscher reiterated UNITAD’s commitment to continue working with full respect to the sovereignty of Iraq and in cooperation with all relevant Iraqi counterparts including in KRI (Kurdistan Region of Iraq),” UNITAD said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Special Adviser Ritscher said he met with various Kurdistan Region officials, including Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed, Foreign Minister Safeen Dizayee, and International Advocacy Coordinator Dindar Zebari, to discuss recent developments in UNITAD’s work.

Today l received Mr. Christian Ritscher, Special Advisor and Head of @UNITAD_Iraq. The enduring collaboration between KR-I/UNITAD were highlighted. Additionally, the imperative of holding ISIS perpetrators accountable for international crimes were underscored. pic.twitter.com/uVpZ76FtuD
— Dr. Dindar Zebari (@KRG_Coordinator) November 2, 2023

The KRG Coordinator for International Advocacy, Dindar Zebari, said in a post on X that the “enduring collaboration between KR-I/ (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) UNITAD were highlighted. Additionally, the imperative of holding ISIL (ISIS) perpetrators accountable for international crimes were underscored.”

Today, I received Christian Ritscher, the Special Adviser and Head of @UNITAD_Iraq. Discussions centered on the progress and efforts of #UNITAD, emphasizing the critical importance of ensuring that #ISIS perpetrators are held accountable, an essential step to achieve justice and… pic.twitter.com/Wr7dJSgkWt
— Rêber Ahmed (@RayberAhmed) November 2, 2023

Moreover, Interior Minister Ahmed said the discussions centered on the progress and efforts of UNITAD, “emphasizing the critical importance of ensuring that ISIS perpetrators are held accountable, an essential step to achieve justice and honor the victims.”

The head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Safeen Dizayee, also said they discussed the activities and future plans of UNITAD in Iraq. “We also emphasized the importance of ensuring justice for the victims of atrocities and holding the culprits accountable for their crimes.”

The UN Security Council in September voted for a one year extension of the mandate of UNITAD.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/33 ... commitment

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ISIS kills forces in Syria

Kurdistan: At least 34 pro-government forces and army soldiers were killed by Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in the Syrian desert on Wednesday, a war monitor reported, marking one of the deadliest attacks by the terror group this year

“Islamic State members launched a violent attack on the positions of regime forces and the National Defense Forces in the Rusafa desert at the Raqqa-Homs-Deir ez-Zor triangle … 34 members of the regime and national defense forces were killed in the attack,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The monitor added that Russian warplanes launched airstrikes on ISIS positions in the desert, killing over 30 jihadists.

ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land in a brazen offensive in 2014, declaring a so-called “caliphate.”

While the group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq and Syria in 2017 and 2019 respectively, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, especially across the vast expanses of the Syrian desert as well as several Iraqi provinces.

The militant group has been blamed for a string of attacks against Syrian regime forces throughout the year.

In August, an ISIS attack on Syrian army soldiers in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province killed 33, days after ten Syrian soldiers were killed in another ISIS attack in their former stronghold of Raqqa.

A civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 after the government’s brutal crackdown on protests, and the security situation has remained fragile ever since.

The conflict then erupted into multiple fronts with the emergence of ISIS, constant fighting between Kurdish forces and Turkey and Turkish-backed proxies, Israeli strikes on pro-Iran factions and tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran. Russia has also backed the Syrian government, while about a thousand US troops are stationed in Syria to train and assist in the fight against ISIS.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/08112023

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Anti-ISIS Operation

Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces on Tuesday carried out a joint operation with the Iraqi army against Islamic State (ISIS) remnants in Sector 8 near the Syrian border

The Ministry of Peshmerga said the joint search operation encompassed the Rabia plain, along with the villages of Jazruniyah, Mahmudiya, Saudiya, and Ain Aweis within Sector 8, denoting the districts of Mahmoudiya, Sinjar, and Zummar.

No further details were provided in the ministry’s statement in this regard.

Despite the official announcement of the defeat of the jihadist group in Iraq in 2017, the operation highlights the persistent threat posed by ISIS, necessitating ongoing security measures.

Major General Yahya Rasoul, the military spokesperson for Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, confirmed on Tuesday that three ISIS members were killed in Kirkuk, part of the continuous efforts to eradicate remnants of the terrorist group.

"In an ongoing attempt to eliminate remnants of the Islamic State terrorist group, Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service in cooperation with security forces on the ground carried out an operation in which three ISIS fighters were killed," he noted.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/830279

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Renewed ISIS attacks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga commanders in Diyala province call for greater cooperation with the Iraqi army amid rising attacks from the so-called Islamic State militants

The call for cooperation comes as the ISIS militants have recently killed at least 12 Iraqis, including members of the security forces, in separate attacks in both Nineveh and Saladin provinces.

For the Peshmerga forces to be able to better fend off the areas under its control, the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces should cooperate further in the disputed territories amid “renewed attacks” from ISIS, Brigader Mardan Salah, the commander of Hamrin Sector, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

“The experience and capability of Peshmerga forces should be benefited from,” in countering the attacks, the commander said.

The sector that the Kurdish commander supervises includes large swathes of areas that are part of the three Iraqi provinces, including Saladin, Diyala, and Kirkuk, where the ISIS remnants have been able to hide and launch hit-and-run attacks against civilians and security forces.

Qori Chay, a remote area in Diyala province, is believed to have served as a safe place for the extremists to regroup and plan attacks in recent years

“We have found their [ISIS] dead bodies and destroyed vehicles in the area,” Nouri Abdul Kareem, a Peshmerga officer, told Kurdistan 24, similarly calling for greater cooperation between the army and Peshmerga to counter attacks.

In an attack on a village on Saturday morning in Makhmour district, at least a soldier was killed and several others were wounded following hours of fighting with the militants.

Following the conclusion of the US-led Coalition's combat mission in late 2021, the Iraqi Air Force has increased its air campaign against the remnants of ISIS.

The terror group occupied approximately one-third of Iraq for nearly three years, including its second-largest city Mosul.

Since the group's self-styled caliphate was destroyed by Kurdish, Iraqi, and international forces, it has regrouped in remote parts of the country. It continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.

The Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces regularly conduct joint operations with the Iraqi forces against ISIS in the so-called "disputed territories" between Erbil and Baghdad, where the group is most active.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/33 ... IS-attacks

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ISIS hideouts powered by ‘solar panels’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi artillery has destroyed at least three hideouts, powered by solar panels, in Saladin province, according to a statement

The artillery shelling destroyed the “solar panels” along with the three hideouts located at Makhoul Mountains in Saladin’s Baiji district, a statement from the Iraqi General Directorate of Intelligence and Security on Wednesday.

The statement did not elaborate on whether any causality had been reported.

The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region security officials have previously said the terror group, whose self-styled caliphate was destroyed in 2017 in Iraq, has retreated mostly to the areas where there is a lack of security cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad.

The terrorists rely on remote hideouts and mountainous areas in the north, east, and west of the country to regroup and launch attacks on security and civilian targets.

The ISIS militants have recently killed at least 12 Iraqis, including members of the security forces, in separate attacks in both Nineveh and Saladin provinces.

Following the conclusion of the US-led Coalition's combat mission in late 2021, the Iraqi Air Force has increased its air campaign against the remnants of ISIS.

The terror group occupied approximately one-third of Iraq for nearly three years, including its second-largest city Mosul.

The Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces regularly conduct joint operations with the Iraqi forces against ISIS in the so-called "disputed territories" between Erbil and Baghdad, where the group is most active.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/33 ... s%E2%80%99