ISIS attacks resume in Iraq
As Muslims celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and as governments try to combat the spread of COVID-19, there has been a resurgence of deadly attacks by the Islamic State in Iraq over two years after the group’s territorial defeat. According to reports, militants aligned with the jihadi group have launched a series of attacks in the last week as they are trying to take advantage of gaps in security protection in Iraq.
“Amongst all the coronavirus news there has been no mention of the massive crisis in Iraq,” Andrew White, an Anglican vicar who spent years serving in Baghdad, warned on Facebook. “Many people have been killed by gunfire and mortars. The sad fact is ISIS has returned in force.”
“Some politician friends say it is like ISIS returning on steroids,” White added. “They seem more empowered now than ever before. We need serious prayer that order will be restored. Things are truly desperate.”
The attacks are creating fear that the militant group is resurging as governments are devoting their resources to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to The Military Times. Since its territorial defeat in late 2017, the Islamic State had lost the ability to carry out large-scale military operations. The group has also gone into hiding with reports that militants are quartered now in caves located in Northern Iraq.
“It’s a real threat,” Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Northern Kurdish region of Iraq, told the news outlet. “They are mobilising and killing us in the north, and they will start hitting Baghdad soon.” According to Talabani, the Islamic State is taking advantage of a “gap” between Kurdish forces and the Iraqi military in Iraq.
Source and image: christianpost.com
