Iraq launches new phase of anti-ISIS operation in Makhmour

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq on Tuesday launched a fresh phase of an anti-Islamic State (ISIS) operation dubbed Solid Will in cooperation with Peshmerga forces, targeting remnants of the  group in an infamous region near Makhmour town, the country's Security Media Cell announced.

The Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces launched the fourth phase of Operation Solid Will "to pursue remnants of ISIS terrorist gangs in the Qarachogh Mountains," the cell said.

Units of the Peshmerga participating in the operation include the Zeravani and counter-terrorism forces and are supported by the Iraqi air force and a reinforcement of tanks.

Mount Qarachogh and its vicinity are located in a security vacuum between Baghdad and Erbil, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala, where locals live in constant fear of ISIS attacks.

Iraqi army and Peshmerga have formed joint brigades to fight ISIS in the disputed territories, but government formation turmoil has prevented their work from materializing.

Kurdish security forces on Thursday with coalition support announced they had taken down four members of ISIS who were behind a deadly attack that killed ten Peshmerga and three civilians in villages at the foothill of Mount Qarachogh.

The latest phase of Operation Solid Will comes three months after Iraq conducted another phase in its western provinces under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command and with the participation of numerous forces including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). 

A Peshmerga operation in Mount Qarachogh in May led to the deaths of two ISIS fighters and the destruction of the jihadists' hideouts.

ISIS controlled vast lands in Iraq in 2014, but the jihadists became fully devoid of territorial control in 2017. While the group lacks any territory, it still continues to pose security risks through abductions, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings, especially in the disputed territories.

In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted four attacks in Iraq from July 7 to July 13, killing and injuring six people.