ISIS resurgence linked to security vacuums in Kirkuk, says official

Shafaq News/ Avesta Sheikh Mohammed, the director of Qara Hanjir district in Kirkuk, attributed the revival of ISIS to security gaps between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army in disputed areas.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the local official stated that "today's attack was a result of security vacuums between federal security forces and Peshmerga," noting the "failure to activate joint brigades as a significant factor in the return of terrorist activities."

The Asayish Security Agency in the Kurdistan Region reported on Sunday that an ISIS member was killed and another was injured in a clash during an attempt to arrest them in the Qara Hanjir district, east of Kirkuk.

The Asayish explained that the ISIS militants had gone to the area to carry out terrorist acts and had killed at least four members of the police.

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.