CENTCOM Supports Iraq in Kirkuk Airstrikes, as ISIS Terror Increases
It has long been the position of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that the continued presence of Coalition forces in Iraq is important for the country’s stability and national interest
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) - ISIS is increasing its activities in the Kirkuk area, as the Voice of America (VOA) reported on Wednesday.
As the VOA report appeared, CENTCOM announced that it had assisted the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in conducting precision airstrikes around Kirkuk.
It has long been the position of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that the continued presence of Coalition forces in Iraq is important for the country’s stability and national interest, as President Masoud Barzani advised the U.S. ambassador to Iraq in a rare trip that he made to Baghdad last summer.
Read More: KDP President Masoud Barzani meets with US Ambassador to Iraq
Recent events would appear to underscore that Barzani was quite right in what he told the U.S. ambassador.
Rise in ISIS Activities—and U.S. Countermoves
“Security and military sources report a significant increase in ISIS movements between Kirkuk and Salahuddin, with militants wearing military uniforms and carrying advanced weapons,” the VOA said on Wednesday.
It is unclear why ISIS’s activities would increase now. There has been concern that the collapse of the Baathist regime in Syria, although very welcome, might also facilitate an increase in ISIS terror attacks.
Read More: ISIS threatens Syrian transitional government
On Wednesday, CENTCOM announced that it had supported the ISF in “precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Kirkuk” on Monday, and two ISIS fighters had been killed in the military operation.
“An initial post-strike clearance found the dead ISIS operatives, an explosive suicide belt, explosive materials, and components of weapons destroyed in the strike,” CENTCOM stated.
“The ISF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS’s capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” CENTCOM said, as it affirmed, “ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.”
“The Iraqi government has intensified military operations along the Iraqi-Syria border to curb the group’s resurgence,” the VOA added.