Peshmerga Ministry launches major operation to eradicate ISIS hideouts in Qara Hanjir
The primary objective was to locate and dismantle suspected ISIS terrorist hideouts in the Qara Hanjir district and surrounding villages.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Thursday, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry announced the execution of a large-scale operation aimed at discovering and destroying ISIS hideouts along the border of Qara Hanjir.
The operation, conducted by the commander of the Second Infantry Division of the Peshmerga Ministry and the 1st Infantry Brigade, began in the early morning and continued until the afternoon.
The primary objective was to locate and dismantle suspected ISIS terrorist hideouts in the Qara Hanjir district and surrounding villages.
The Peshmerga Ministry reported that the operation was part of ongoing efforts to combat ISIS, which remains a significant threat in the region.
The Kurdistan Region representative for the Joint Operations Command Abdulkhaliq Talaat, highlighted the persistent threat of ISIS during an interview with Kurdistan 24 on July 20. Talaat emphasized that ISIS continues to pose a serious risk to Iraq's security, with attacks on Iraqi security forces occurring on a weekly or monthly basis.
Read More: ISIS remains a persistent threat to Iraq's security, warns Kurdistan Region Major General
Talaat described the recent attack on Qara Hanjir as a stark reminder of the ongoing danger posed by ISIS to the Kurdistan Region. He noted that while ISIS is no longer as powerful as it once was, its presence is still significant in the form of sleeper cells and areas with security vulnerabilities.
The KRG representative identified the region spanning Kirkuk, Salahuddin, Diyala, and Nineveh as the primary focus of ISIS's threat to Iraq. He warned that although ISIS's operational strength has diminished, the group's capacity to conduct attacks persists due to the security gaps and the current volatile situation in Iraq.
Talaat stressed that the conditions within the region provide opportunities for ISIS to potentially intensify its activities. The Peshmerga Ministry's latest operation underscores the ongoing commitment to counter-terrorism efforts and to secure the Kurdistan Region from ISIS's residual threats.
