Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Recent ISIS attacks on security forces in Kirkuk’s Hawija district highlight the continuing threat posed by sleeper cells, Ahmed Ramzi Koperlu, head of the Provincial Council’s Security and Defense Committee, warned on Wednesday.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Koperlu said security agencies must prevent militants from regrouping or using remote areas to target security personnel and civilians, calling for continued coordination and information sharing to track suspected militants and wanted individuals.

Iraqi forces have the ability to dismantle the remaining cells and disrupt their support networks, he noted, pledging continued backing from the Provincial Council.

His remarks came after two consecutive days of ISIS attacks in Al-Bargliya–Al-Danadish village, southwest of Kirkuk. On Tuesday, militants targeted the second battalion of the Popular Mobilization Forces’ (PMF) 61st Brigade, while a sniper disabled a thermal surveillance camera at a military position, a security source told Shafaq News. No casualties were immediately reported, and security personnel subsequently searched the village and surrounding areas.

An assault on the Federal Police’s 9th Brigade in the same village on Monday also killed one police officer and wounded four others.

Read more: Iraq’s western desert from ISIS hideouts to new security challenges