Iraq is working closely with Kurdish forces as concerns amongst authorities
increase about a resurgence of ISIS militants in the country. In July 2021


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ISIS Resurgence Leads To Cooperation Between Iraq, Kurdish Forces, And The U.S.

 

(New York, N.Y.) — Iraq is working
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closely with Kurdish forces as concerns amongst authorities increase about a
resurgence of ISIS militants in the country. In July 2021, officials from the
U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq warned ISIS continues to regroup in Diyala
province, and both Iraqi Intelligence officers and local tribal leaders warned
ISIS is also regrouping in the disputed Kirkuk region in Iraqi Kurdistan. The
U.S. Department of Stateattributes
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many of the 10 percent year-over-year increase in terrorism-related fatalities
around the world in 2020 to the expansion of ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates.

 

Between December 5 and December 7 alone, ISIS claimed responsibility for
multiple attacks in Iraq that killed at least nine and wounded dozens. On
December 5, ISIS attacked the villages of Qara Salem and Luhaiban, taking
control of Luhaiban until Iraqi and Peshmerga forces recaptured it the
following day. ISIS is continuing to target areas formerly under its control,
while its affiliates wage attacks around the world. On December 17,
U.S.-supported Moroccan security forcesfoiled
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an attempted ISIS attack. In Afghanistan, ISIS continues to lead a violent
insurgency while targeting innocent Afghan civilians, particularly the
country’s Shiite minority.

 

After the U.S. ended its combat mission in Iraq on December 9, 2021, U.S.
officials said they would keep approximately 2,500 U.S. forces in Iraq in a
training and advisory role. Both Iraqi and Kurdish authorities agree that
despite its reduced presence, the U.S. retains an important role in mediating
between them. John Godfrey, the U.S. acting coordinator for counterterrorism
and special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, has warned ISIS
remains a “determined and dangerous enemy.”

 

To read Counter Extremism Project (CEP)’s resource Iraq, please click here
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To read CEP’s resource ISIS, please click here
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