Islamic State militants in Iraq exploiting virus
COPENHAGEN — Islamic State militants hide in sparsely populated farmlands in Iraq from where they stage attacks on Iraqi forces scrambling to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country, the head of the 70man Norwegian contingent in this Mideast nation was quoted as saying Wednesday.
Iraq is not just facing the global pandemic but also a resurgence of attacks by the Islamic State and a financial crunch as oil prices plummet to historic lows — a crisis for a nation depending on crude exports to fund 90% of its state expenditures.
The militants “reside in agricultural areas and are thus not particularly susceptible to the virus infection,” Lt. Col. Stein Grongstad told Norway’s VG newspaper. In recent weeks, they have been targeting Iraqi forces “that are not currently coordinated to the same extent as before the virus struck.”
The assessment is in line with Associated Press reporting that the militant group is taking advantage of governments absorbed in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing slide into economic chaos to stage more brazen attacks across Iraq and Syria.
In Iraq, the militants are also exploiting security gaps coinciding with a pullout of U.S.led coalition forces from bases in western Iraq, Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces in line with a drawdown conceived in December.
Grongstad described the situation as a “paradox,” that at a time when the world is grappling with the pandemic, Islamic State attacks are on the rise.
“The Islamic State group has been moving the fighting from Syria to Iraq … (and) is strengthening, both financially and militarily,” he said.
Since 2017, a Norwegian contingent has been based in western Iraq’s vast and mostly desert Anbar province, where it trains and advises Iraqi security forces.
Most recently, new Prime Minister Mustafa alKadhimi promoted a wellrespected Iraqi general, who played a key role in the military campaign against the Islamic State, to lead counterterrorism operations. Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab alSaadi was mysteriously demoted last year by former Prime Minister Adel AbdulMahdi, prompting outrage and sparking popular protests in northern Iraq and Baghdad.
The Supreme Judiciary Council said in a statement that it had ordered the release of protesters detained since those demonstrations erupted, in line with the new prime minister’s call.
Protests erupted in Baghdad and across the country’s south on Oct. 1, when frustrated Iraqis took to the streets to decry rampant government corruption, unemployment and poor services. Human rights groups say at least 600 people died in the following three months at the hands of Iraqi security forces who used live fire and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The demonstrations petered out with the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, though dozens of protesters are still camped out in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, determined not to let the movement die.
Iraq has reported over 2,700 cases of coronavirus infections, including 109 deaths.