IS making a comeback in Iraq

BAQUBA: Months after Iraq declared victory over Islamic State, its fighters are making a comeback with a scatter-gun campaign of kidnap and killing.

With its dream of a Caliphate in the Middle East now dead, Islamic State has switched to hitand-run attacks aimed at undermining the government in Baghdad, according to military, intelligence and government officials interviewed by Reuters.

Iraq has now seen an increase in kidnappings and killings, mainly in the provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahuddin, since it held an election in May.

Diyala provincial council chairman Ali al-dani said the advantage currently lay with Islamic State. “The terrorists now are moving in small groups that are hard to track. Intelligence work is needed,” he said.

“The situation is confusing, and the reason is the chaos within the security forces. There isn’t one command leading security in the province. This strengthens Daesh,” said Salahuddin provincial council chairman Ahmed al-kareem, using a pejorative term for Islamic State.

That kind of disarray among the security forces has allowed IS to stage a comeback, according to military, police, intelligence, and local elected officials.

They said poor coordination, meagre support from the central government, and a culture of avoiding responsibility are hindering efforts to contain the group, which continues to stage a steady stream of lower-level attacks in addition to the spike in kidnap and murder.