ISIS ambush in Kirkuk: Four security personnel killed; investigation underway

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Ministry of Interior reported that four security personnel were killed in an ISIS ambush in Kirkuk.

The spokesperson for the Ministry and the Security Media Cell, Brig. Gen. Muqdad Miri, stated, "At 10:00 AM on Wednesday, a force from the 42nd Brigade's Intelligence Unit of the 11th Division was conducting a reconnaissance and inspection mission in the Zagaitoun Valley, within the Kirkuk Operations Command area, when its members were ambushed by elements of the ISIS terrorist group."

Miri confirmed that the ambush led to the deaths of four fighters and injured three others with moderate and minor wounds. He noted, "The force had been reinforced and actions had been taken to encircle and track down the terrorist cell, with aerial support provided in the presence of the division commander.”

“An investigation council had also been formed."

ISIS In Kirkuk

ISIS has been a persistent threat in Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic region in northern Iraq. Despite losing territorial control in Iraq in 2017, ISIS remnants continue to operate in rural and mountainous areas, conducting attacks against civilians and security forces.

Kirkuk is considered a disputed area, with competing claims from the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. This dispute has led to a lack of cohesive security measures and the presence of many security vacuums—areas where neither side exerts full control.

ISIS and other militant groups exploit these vacuums to carry out attacks and establish hideouts.