ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 350 people have died in over 200 Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in disputed territories in the first 11 months of 2021, an official from the Peshmerga ministry told Rudaw on Monday, following an increase in the militant group’s activities.
In the first 11 months of the year “ISIS militants conducted 229 attacks in disputed territories, as result of which 356 people were martyred, 480 were injured and 33 were kidnapped,” the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Jabar Yawar told Rudaw.
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.
The militant group’s attacks in disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad have increased in the past months. The terror group has killed 22 Peshmerga fighters since November 27.
Iraqi and Kurdish officials held security meetings and launched joint military operations against the militant group.
The Iraqi counter-terror forces have conducted over 300 operations against ISIS, according to data provided to Rudaw English by Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (ICTS) Spokesperson Sabah al-Numan.
The Iraqi army and the Peshmerga started talks in July to form two joint brigades to counter ISIS remnants but efforts to form these brigades have so far stalled.
However, Numan told Rudaw English the joint-brigades will be established within the first two months of the new year.
Multiple ISIS suspects have recently been arrested across Iraq.
Iraqi forces on Thursday arrested five ISIS members including a health worker that has admitted to treating ill and wounded members of the militant group.
Kurdish security forces detained a group affiliated with ISIS in Erbil on December 18. Two ISIS arms smugglers were also captured in Erbil earlier in the month.
In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted 12 attacks in Iraq from December 16 to December 22, killing and injuring 26 people.
