ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on Wednesday launched a sweeping operation, pursuing suspected remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) in western Kirkuk province.
"A force from the 61st Brigade, affiliated with the Northern and East Tigris Operations Command of the Popular Mobilization Forces, in coordination with units of the 3rd Division of the Federal Police, launched a large-scale security operation," Nabil Issa al-Bashiri, Deputy Commander of Kirkuk Operations for PMF, told Iraq's state media.
Bashiri detailed that the sweeping and searching operation was carried out in the Hawi Sadr al-Nahr area west of Kirkuk province, a region "overlooking the Zab River, to pursue and eliminate remnants of ISIS terrorist gangs."
"The operation was launched based on accurate intelligence information, which indicated suspicious movements in the area that may be linked to remnants of ISIS elements," he said.
The military official stressed that the operation aimed to "comb the lands and areas surrounding the river and prevent their exploitation by terrorist elements, in addition to enhancing security and stability in the villages and neighboring areas."
The official, however, did not detail whether or not they arrested any suspects during the combing operation.
Wednesday's operation comes just three days after Iraq's Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency’s counter-terrorism units in Kirkuk arrested three suspected ISIS members.
ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian 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 and several Iraqi provinces situated in a security vacuum between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region.
Kirkuk province in particular has been a hotspot for ISIS activity, lying in a security vacuum exploited by militants to launch attacks on both civilians and members of the security forces.
Despite the threats, Iraqi authorities stress that attacks by ISIS have largely simmered down.
