ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – September saw a rise in terror related incidents across Iraq and particularly the disputed territories compared to previous months, according to figures published by the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) on Monday. Incidents ranged from villages raids, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), hit-and-run attacks on Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias, and sabotage of public infrastructure. The disputed province of Kirkuk and the former ISIS stronghold of Mosul also saw a spike in unrest, as did Khanaqin, Hawija, Gayara, Dubis and areas close to Mt. Hamrin, the KRSC said. “ISIS and unknown fighters were linked to at least 22 attacks last month; more than 25 IEDs targeted Iraqi security forces and civilians, and nine kidnapping incidents and five grenade attacks were also logged. Arrests and ISIS infiltrators have also emerged with increasing regularity,” the KRSC said in a press statement. ISIS fighters reportedly attacked a battalion in Mutaibja on September 25, killing a soldier from Amerli and injuring four others. In Rashad, Kirkuk, on September 16, ISIS killed a federal policeman and injured two more. On September 11, ISIS targeted homes of two tribal mobilization figures in Hawaij village, Hawija, killing both and injuring one woman. ISIS militants also ambushed two officers from the 20th Brigade, 5th Division of the Federal Police on September 30, killing both. An electricity tower between the villages of Khuzaifi and Mahmoudia, Hawija, was blown up on September 14, and an IED struck towers 192-193 near Mahdia village, Rashad on September 19. ISIS destroyed the tower between Siha-Um Gesair villages, Hawija on September 30. ISIS stormed a health center in Dara village, Daquq on September 12 and kidnapped two individuals, including an ambulance driver who was later freed after paying a ransom. On September 17, ISIS set up a fake checkpoint near Ali Sultan village, Rashad, kidnapping one. The group also targeted the homes of Iraqi security forces. On September 13, the home of a policeman from Bri’aa village, al-Multaqa, Kirkuk, was blown up. Similarly, on September 15, the home of a Colonel in Gharib village, Abbasi, was blown up. On September 20 a car bomb exploded in the al-Khazra neighborhood of Kirkuk, injuring six. In Rabia, on September 13, Iraqi counter-IED teams defused an ISIS car bomb prepared for an attack. Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the defeat of ISIS in December 2017. However, ISIS remnants have freely exploited security gaps in several of the disputed areas between ISF and Peshmerga control. Although the group has lost all of its urban strongholds in Iraq, sleeper cells are still operating in several cities and in remote desert areas. In response to the worsening situation, Iraqi and international coalition warplanes have conducted multiple strikes against ISIS positions. Strikes on Mt. Qarachokh in Makhmour killed an ISIS militant from Shurgat, the KRSC said. On September 24, warplanes struck ISIS positions in Karim Daoud village, Khanaqin – killing six militants. During September, coalition warplanes conducted some 15 airstrikes near Makhmour, Tuz Khormatu and Mosul. On September 22, coalition warplanes struck an ISIS tunnel in Zab al-Saghir, Hawija, killing three ISIS fighters. The US-led coalition says it will remain in Iraq until the ISIS threat has been neutralized and stabilization efforts are complete.
