ISIS kills two soldiers in Anbar and kidnaps two shepherds near Makhmour

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi security sources reported on Saturday that two Iraqi soldiers were killed in an attack by ISIS militants in Anbar Province.

A security source told Kurdistan 24 that two soldiers were killed after ISIS militants attacked the Fourth Regiment in Al-Jazeera Operations Command during a dust storm in Anbar.

Additionally, another security source said that gunmen affiliated with ISIS kidnapped two shepherds at the foothills of Qarachough mountain near the disputed town of Makhmour.

He added that the kidnapping took place late at night in one of Makhmour’s surrounding villages. The security source said that the shepherds were taken to an unknown destination, which was confirmed by other sources.

According to the source, "The ISIS terrorist seeks to obtain ransom money through kidnappings because he no longer has any other financial resources."

In late 2021, ISIS militants were launching almost daily raids on the civilian and security targets in disputed territories.

These attacks prompted Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to increase coordination against the militants in these areas. ISIS exploited the lack of cooperation between the ISF and Peshmerga, which resulted in a security vacuum in those territories.

The Iraqi Army and Peshmerga began cooperating against the group in November 2021 after it had launched a series of nighttime attacks that killed over 20 of the Kurdish forces and civilians. 

In recent months, Kurdish and Iraqi military authorities have held several meetings in Erbil and Baghdad to discuss joint operations against the group’s stragglers.