Peshmerga crippled ISIS movements between Diyala and Kurdistan, officers say
Shafaq News/ The security operations executed by the Peshmerga forces managed to deter ISIS plots and cripple the movement of its operatives in the territory between Diyala and the Kurdistan region, senior commanders said on Monday.
In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, Peshmerga commanders said that the military campaigns at the borders of Garmyan with the governorates of Saladin and Diyala "aborted ISIS movements, cut the roads of death, and prevented the terrorist groups from slipping between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces."
The commander of the third brigade's second regiment, Colonel Jalil Mam Faiaq, said, "since January, we have not registered a single attack or terrorist incident at the outskirts of Khanaqin after cutting the supply routes of the terrorist groups and crippling the movement of its members."
"The borders of Garmyan and Khanaqin are under control. It is subject to continuous inspection and surveillance by the Peshmerga forces," he added.
"Al-Islah basin and the north of Jalawla are still infested by ISIS remnants. However, it is under the jurisdiction of the federal forces," Faiaq continued.
ISIS took a swath of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Following a series of bloody offensives against it, the armed group lost its territorial control and was effectively defeated in 2017.
However, having changed its strategies, ISIS still poses a threat in several provinces in Iraq with hit-and-run attacks, kidnappings, and roadside bombs.
Meanwhile, territorial disputes in Diyala province between the Kurdistan region and Iraq’s federal government, coupled with a lack of coordination between Kurdish forces and their counterparts in Baghdad, have contributed to a security vacuum that has been increasingly exploited by ISIS.
Toward the end of 2021, ISIS staged a series of attacks targeting civilians and security forces, leaving casualties and injuries.
Consequently, the federal and Peshmerga forces organized a joint large-scale security campaign to purge the terrorist enclaves in the area.
An officer of the Iraqi army told Shafaq News Agency that the recent security cooperation between the Defense ministry and the Peshmerga forces contributed to restoring trust between the federal forces and the residents of the Kurdish villages.
"Many villagers back-pedaled on the notion of displacement after the security assurances, the resumption of the security cooperation between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces, and forming the joint brigades."
The commander of the second axis of the Peshmerga forces (Qara Tappa-Hemrin), Major-General Merdan Shawschin, said, "we managed to eradicate ISIS in our territory. We completely destroyed ISIS arsenal in Diyala and Saladin."
The commander ruled out the possibility of ISIS resurgence in the Kurdish areas after losing their spots. "However, the situation on the other side of the borders of Diyala-Khanaqin is not our duty. We are maintaining the gains of the December operation."
