ISIS still a threat to Iraq, 2 years after its defeat

Muazz Mohamed

On a day like today two years ago, former Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, declared the end of the war on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the liberation of all territories occupied by the terrorist organization in Iraq.

Nonetheless, some ISIS cells continue to emerge every now and then in different parts of Iraq, posing threats to the security of the embattled Arab state.

On December 5, ISIS staged an attack in Khanaqin, a city in Iraq’s Diyala province. The attack is testament to the fact that ISIS continues to constitute a security threat in Iraq, according to the command of Peshmerga, the military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

“The war on those enemies of humanity has not come to an end yet,” the command said.

President of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, said the reasons for ISIS emergence continue to be present.

“The terrorist organization has started returning to some areas,” Barzani said. “This is a real danger for the residents of these areas.”

Unending violence

On July 16, two people were killed in an attack launched by ISIS elements in one of the villages southern the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

In late July, ISIS terrorists also attacked oilfields in the northern Saladin province.

On August 1, Iraqi police said seven policemen were killed and 16 others injured in two separate attacks, apparently launched by ISIS, in the same province.

On August 22, ISIS terrorists attacked a joint army-Popular Mobilization Forces post in the northeastern part of Diyala.

The subsequent exchange of fire caused the death of three ISIS terrorists. Two Iraqi troops were also injured.

Whereabouts

ISIS sleeper cells can be found in almost all parts of Iraq, especially in Saladin, Karbala and Diyala.

Iraqi National Security Advisor, Faleh al-Fayad, expected ISIS to morph into a new organization with a new structure and a new youth leadership.

He added in an interview with the German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel, on February 17 that a new generation of ISIS fighters might emerge.

“We have information that a new secret organization is in the offing,” al-Fayad said.

He said after their defeat, ISIS terrorists hide among civilians in preparation for making their comeback or moving easily into other parts of Iraq.