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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Islamic State (ISIS) militants on Tuesday launched an attack on the Iraqi forces in Kirkuk province, killing two soldiers, a security official told Rudaw as the terror group’s resurgence threatens the stability of the country and terrorize civilians in disputed areas.
A number ISIS militants attacked Dibis town in Kirkuk, killing two Iraqi soldiers, an officer from Kirkuk police told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity.
The terror group attacked the forces from “two sides,” the source noted.
ISIS attacks have been on the rise recently, especially in territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Hours before the Iraqi army was targeted, a number of Katyusha rockets believed to have been fired by ISIS militants landed near the bases of Peshmerga forces on the outskirts of Prde town in Kirkuk, Peshmerga commander Nuri Hama Ali told Rudaw.
Another commander said the rockets landed at around 7:00 pm. No casualties or injuries were reported.
No group has claimed responsibility for the recent two attacks.
Meanwhile sirens blared from the US consulate in Erbil, according to a Rudaw English reporter who was in the vicinity of the compound on Tuesday night.
ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017, but it remains a serious security threat, especially in areas where there is a security vacuum between Erbil and Baghdad. It has recently increased its attacks on the Kurdish forces.
The terror group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack on Peshmerga in Kirkuk late on Sunday, killing four of them. The militant group also claimed responsibility for a Thursday attack on two villages in southwest Erbil near the disputed territory of Makhmour that left 10 Peshmerga fighters and three civilians dead.
Kurdish and Iraqi officials have blamed the attacks on the security vacuum between Erbil and Baghdad, holding a high-level security meeting to ramp up cooperation in these areas.
The deadly ISIS offensives come as America prepares to withdraw its combat troops by the end of the year, as the coalition formally shifts its mission focus to advising and assisting Iraqi forces. There are currently about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region. It is not immediately clear whether the shift in roles will change the number of American soldiers in the country.
A number ISIS militants attacked Dibis town in Kirkuk, killing two Iraqi soldiers, an officer from Kirkuk police told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity.
The terror group attacked the forces from “two sides,” the source noted.
ISIS attacks have been on the rise recently, especially in territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.
Hours before the Iraqi army was targeted, a number of Katyusha rockets believed to have been fired by ISIS militants landed near the bases of Peshmerga forces on the outskirts of Prde town in Kirkuk, Peshmerga commander Nuri Hama Ali told Rudaw.
Another commander said the rockets landed at around 7:00 pm. No casualties or injuries were reported.
No group has claimed responsibility for the recent two attacks.
Meanwhile sirens blared from the US consulate in Erbil, according to a Rudaw English reporter who was in the vicinity of the compound on Tuesday night.
ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017, but it remains a serious security threat, especially in areas where there is a security vacuum between Erbil and Baghdad. It has recently increased its attacks on the Kurdish forces.
The terror group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack on Peshmerga in Kirkuk late on Sunday, killing four of them. The militant group also claimed responsibility for a Thursday attack on two villages in southwest Erbil near the disputed territory of Makhmour that left 10 Peshmerga fighters and three civilians dead.
Kurdish and Iraqi officials have blamed the attacks on the security vacuum between Erbil and Baghdad, holding a high-level security meeting to ramp up cooperation in these areas.
The deadly ISIS offensives come as America prepares to withdraw its combat troops by the end of the year, as the coalition formally shifts its mission focus to advising and assisting Iraqi forces. There are currently about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region. It is not immediately clear whether the shift in roles will change the number of American soldiers in the country.
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