Iraq prepares for anti-ISIL operations to liberate three provinces

Iraqi forces yesterday announced the launch of new operations to liberate three provinces from ISIL.

The offensive comes two months after Baghdad declared victory over the extremists.

In an attempt to avoid a return to its previous form, military operations are set to target insurgent cells in eastern Kirkuk, the multi-ethnic town of Tuz Khurmatu and the provinces of Diyala and Anbar.

Gen Abul Amir Yarallah said “it is vital to maintain security in eastern Kirkuk and in Tuz Khurmatu to ensure that displaced people are returned home safely”.

“Commanders from the Iraqi military, including the Hashed Al Shabi, met yesterday to discuss an operation to clear the areas,” he said in reference to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Units.

The operation aims to combat the so-called “White Flag” group that has been accused of conducting terrorist activities and targeting politicians in the northern regions of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu. In December, politicians in Kirkuk council accused the group of kidnapping 11 civilians and raiding homes in Tuz Khurmatu.

In addition to facing an ISIL threat, Kirkuk province is also a disputed territory – contested by Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Although victory was announced against ISIL in December, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi ordered security forces last month to eliminate “ISIL sleeper cells” and protect civilians.

Fanar Haddad, senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore, told

The National that announcing triumph over ISIL “was never going to be a singular event and was always going to be a process”.

Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the group would continue to pose a terrorist threat to the country.

However, “the fact that Iraqis successfully rebuffed a coordinated ISIL attack on Ramadi in September without any foreign assistance shows they are far more capable now than before, even when they do not receive intelligence in advance”, he told The National.

On Saturday the army launched an operation targeting ISIL fighters in Diyala, north-east of Baghdad.

Gen Mazhar Al Azawi said yesterday that the Iraqi army, police and Hashed Al Shaabi forces launched “a wide-scale operation aimed at destroying ISIL cells”.

“The offensive is part of the Tigris operations strategy to reassure residents that security is maintained in the province,” Gen Al Azzawi said.