Lawmaker says ISIS fighters adopted a new tactic

Shafaq News/ The Islamic State fighters have adopted a new tactic to inflict damages on the security forces by planting roadside bombs and landmines in the territories infested by sleeper cells loyal to the toppled so-called caliphate, lawmaker Khalid al-Obaidi said on Thursday.

The member of the parliament's defense and security committee told Shafaq News Agency that the extremist groups exploit the lax security and tough topography in certain areas to move and hide, which allows them to carry out guerilla-style attacks or plant bombs and landmines undetected.

"Sustaining the momentum of preemptive operations and boosting intelligence efforts is pivotal to curb such activities and to hinder security breaches," he explained.

Al-Obaidi said that the situation on both sides of the borders with Syria is under control, assuring that the recent security breaches are not related to trans-border action.

Earlier this week, at least nine federal police officers were killed in a bombing in north-central Iraq near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

The bomb struck the policemen’s convoy on Sunday near the village of Safra, about 30km (20 miles) southwest of Kirkuk. Two other officers were critically injured.

The Islamic State said on its Telegram channel that it had carried out the attack.

ISIS which had captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014, was defeated by an international military coalition, led by the United States. The armed group lost its last stronghold in 2019, but its sleeper cells continue to carry out attacks in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who ordered a hunt for the perpetrators, said security forces should show "vigilance, carefully inspect the roads and not provide any opportunity for terrorist elements".