Fears of Islamic State comeback in Iraq
A senior Kurdish official has said there are growing indications that Islamic State (Isis) is trying to make a comeback after an uptick in attacks in Iraq.
At least 19 members of Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish security forces have been killed in recent days across the country, according to military statements and security officials, prompting calls from Iraq’s president to remain vigilant to the threat of a resurgent Isis.
The attacks come after Baghdad’s deadliest suicide bombing in three years, claimed in January by the ultra hardline Sunni Islamist group, and amid fears that a reduction of US-led forces could upset stability.
“It seems like (Isis) have reorganised,” Lahur Talabany, copresident of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party and a former intelligence chief, said.
Originally an offshoot of alQaeda,
Isis took large swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014, imposing a reign of terror with public beheadings and attacks by supporters abroad.
Isis was declared militarily defeated in 2017 but has since waged a steady insurgency across parts of northern Iraq
and a porous border with neighbouring Syria.
Recent months have witnessed more than 25 deadly attacks that Iraqi officials attribute to Isis militants.
The bombing in January of a crowded Baghdad market killed more than 30 people.
Talabany said Isis had never been completely eliminated.
He said there were still several thousand Isis militants operating in Iraq.
Some Western military officials say the number operating between Iraq and Syria could be more than 10,000.
Talabany was especially alarmed at the ability of Isis to recruit, including through social media.
Three weeks ago, 38 Isis recruits, all Kurds between the age of 20 and 22, were arrested.
“They were about to carry out attacks. They received equipment and bombs and explosives. This was a wake-up call,” he said.
Talabany’s concerns are shared by Iraqi leaders.
President Barham Salih said on Twitter last week the country “cannot afford to be complacent” in combating Isis.
A lack of co-ordination between the Iraqi military and forces from the Kurdistan region have been blamed for some security failures.
The two sides fought against Isis but relations have deteriorated since a failed Kurdish bid for full independence in 2017, halted militarily by Baghdad.
Territory disputed by both sides remains fertile ground for Isis, Talabany said.
“Lack of co-ordination between Erbil [the Kurdish capital] and Baghdad has led to Isis re-emerging and getting stronger and being more operational and capable,” he said.
The US has reduced its forces from about 5,000 to half that number in the last year.
As the military coalition led by Washington reduces its numbers in Iraq, Nato is expected to fill the gap in training and co-ordination with Iraqi forces.