Iraqi authorities use database to hunt ISIS remnants
Days after Iraqi security authorities launched Operation Abtal
al-Iraq (Heroes of Iraq) to achieve security and establish control, the
country's counterterrorism agency announced that it had a complete database of ISIS
remnants.
In December 2017, the Iraqi authorities announced the
liberation of all its lands from ISIS, after nearly three and a half years of
battling the terrorist organization that occupied about a third of the country.
The Iraqi forces have also achieved all of their goals in
the eight phases of Operation Will of Victory, which was launched on July 7,
2019, to purge the desert areas linking the provinces of Nineveh, Salahuddin
and Anbar, up to the international border with Syria in the northwestern part
of the country.
According to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), Iraqi
Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) spokesman Sabah Al-Numan said on Sunday,
February 16, that the CTS strategy deals with how to take advantage of the
efforts of ministries and other agencies to spread a culture of awareness to
prevent terrorism. He added that the CTS has a large database of terrorists
inside the country, which has become a source that also benefits other regional
and international security services. He also stressed that the coming days will
witness specific operations in targeting hideouts and pursuing terrorists.
Pursuing ISIS
The CTS announced on Saturday, February 15, that its forces
managed to kill 10 ISIS militants during an airstrike in the Hamrin area of
Diyala Governorate in the country’s east.
The first phase of Operation Abtal al-Iraq, which started on
Wednesday, February 12, targeted an area of 26,238 square kilometers and included
the participation of the security services in the country.
The operation resulted in the discovery of five hideouts, 25
explosive devices, mortars, seven SPG-9 rockets, two motorcycles, ammunition,
C4, nine anti-tank missiles, an explosive belt, and more.
Fear of increasing the number of militants
The number of ISIS militants in Iraq until mid-2019 reached
nearly 18,000, while in 2014 they numbered about 10,000, according to Pentagon
statistics.
According to a report published by the Iraqi Alsumaria news
agency, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who coordinated with
the international coalition fighting ISIS, attributed the main reason for the
increase in the number of ISIS militants to the current state of tension between
the United States and Iran, which has distracted attention from the operations
carried out by the organization. He noted that the confrontation between the
two countries has had a negative impact on the war against terrorism and
against ISIS, which should be a priority for all.
The Insider website reported on Monday, February 17, that
ISIS is stronger than it was in 2014, noting that the organization currently
has more fighters than it had when it announced the establishment of its
alleged caliphate, in addition to millions of dollars at its disposal.
Barzani said that, after losing a large number of its
leaders and men, ISIS recruited a number of militants and still has about
20,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
On Sunday, February 16, Iraq’s Security Media Cell announced
the arrest of three ISIS terrorists in Anbar and Kirkuk.
