Politics

Iraq launches anti-ISIS operation to secure western border

The Iraqi military announced on Wednesday that it had launched a new anti-Islamic State operation named “Iraqi Heroes” as part of ongoing efforts to secure the nation's often porous western borders with Syria and Jordan.

Kurdistan 24 2020/02/12 15:54

middle east Iraq Baghdad ISIS

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi military announced on Wednesday that it had launched a new anti-Islamic State operation named “Iraqi Heroes” as part of ongoing efforts to secure the nation's often porous western borders with Syria and Jordan.

“With God’s blessing, phase one of 'Iraqi Heroes' was launched at dawn today, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, with the participation of the Ground Forces Command, the Baghdad Operations Command, and the Border Guard Command and entities attached to it,” said Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Command Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah in a statement.

He added, “The process is to search and clear Anbar Province and surrounding areas in the Iraqi-Syrian-Jordanian borders... with the Middle Euphrates Command and Baghdad Operations Command to eliminate the remnants of terrorism, impose security, and enhance stability.”

The military operation will be conducted from five axes with the full support of the entire Iraqi air force, according to the statement.

The announcement comes just days after the Kurdish Peshmerga, with the backing of the anti-ISIS global coalition, launched an operation to root out sleeper cells of the Islamic State near areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. The Kurdish-led campaign came as a result of increased terrorist attacks and kidnappings in rural Diyala Province.

Kurdish officials have warned that the lack of effective joint security coordination between Kurdish and federal Iraqi forces offers extremist fighters the opportunity to regroup and stage attacks in nearby populated areas.

In late January, a group of gunmen suspected to be an Islamic State sleeper cell set up a mock security checkpoint and abducted seven civilians to the west of Khanaqin and just south of the Kurdish run Garmiyan Administration. On Saturday, militants kidnapped two more people in a similar incident near the same area.

After the first abduction, senior Turkmen lawmaker Arshad al-Salihi said the militant group had executed many of the abductees—whom he said were members of the Turkmen ethnic group. The exact number is still unconfirmed and the whereabouts of the victims is unclear.

Editing by John J. Catherine