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Iraq and Syria are fighting the resurgence of ISIS attacks as the terror group takes advantage of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are 2,500 to 3,000 Islamic state fighters in Iraq, security officials estimate, and another 500 have escaped from prisons in Syria, sparking increased violence in the region.
Three security guards were killed outside a government building in Kirkuk, Iraq, after a suicide bomber blew himself up in the first week of Ramadan.
And yesterday, ten Iraqi military fighters were killed in a coordinated three-pronged attack in Salahaddin province, just 54 miles from the capital Baghdad.
Up to 32 Syrian soldiers died during a two-day ISIS attack on a settlement near Homs. Two oil groups also suffered severe damage from the terrorist group, causing electricity production to collapse to 70 percent of normal levels.
Iraq and Syria are fighting a resurgence of ISIS attacks as both countries continue to face a pandemic. The image above is a vehicle following an ISIS attack near Kirkuk, where ten Iraqi soldiers were killed.
Peshmerega fighters are pictured above helping Iraq’s Yazidi minority when they arrive at a medical center near Kirkuk, Iraq.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Qubad Talabani, said the group’s revival is a “real threat”.
“They are mobilizing and killing us in the north and they will soon start attacking Baghdad,” he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi paid tribute to those killed on May 2. “This attack reflects a desperate attempt to capitalize on the state of political rivalry that has impeded the formation of a new government that will work to protect and secure its citizens,” he said.
The people of Kujalo, hidden in the arid center of Iraq, have also seen an increase in extremist activity.
“They know everything about each farm in Kulajo and they know who each house belongs to,” said a local farmer. “IS has been carrying out attacks in Kurdish areas for a long time, but now they are more organized and have more people.”
An attack in the Makhoul mountain range in Diyala killed a federal police officer and wounded a battalion commander and brigadier general on April 1. And an IED attack targeted a patrol from a command regiment last month.
ISIS fighters have also attacked a military installation on the outskirts of Kirkuk (pictured above)
A soldier stands next to the burned-out building. There has been a resurgence in ISIS attacks despite the group being defeated three years ago.
The increase comes as Baghdad halves the number of soldiers on the ground due to the coronavirus, and forces of the US-led coalition continue to withdraw from bases in Nineveh and Kirkuk in western Iraq.
Territorial disputes between Baghdad and authorities in the northern Kurdish region have also left parts of three provinces without law enforcement, leaving the rugged landscape open to rebel groups.
“Before the virus appeared and before the US withdrawal, operations were negligible, with only one operation per week,” said a senior intelligence official, who declined to be identified.
“Now,” he said, “security forces are seeing an average of 20 operations a month.”
Coalition spokesman Colonel Myles B. Caggins III said IS attacks were mounting in reaction to operations against their hideouts in the mountains and rural areas of north-central Iraq.
Analysts have warned that the increase in attacks is aimed at securing the influence of the new leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, named after his predecessor who was assassinated last year.
Iraq has registered 95 deaths and 2,219 cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak began, although figures are feared to be much higher due to the country’s proximity to Iran.
Oil wells in Syria have also been attacked. When the Shaer and Hayan wells were hit, they caused a 30% drop in the country’s electricity production.
Syria and Iraq have also been fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Neither of them has recorded more than 1,000 cases so far.
Syrian forces have also faced a sudden increase in ISIS-led violence.
On April 9, extremists attacked government positions near Sukhna, Homs, forcing the government to bring in reinforcements covered by a Russian air strike.
Up to 32 soldiers died in two days of shootings, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He also said that 26 ISIS fighters were killed.
Gas wells in the Shaer and Hayan fields were attacked on April 13, taking them out of service and causing a 30 percent drop in electricity production.
Syria has recorded three coronavirus deaths and 44 cases.
However, nine years of civil war have left the country’s health system severely damaged, raising fears that there will be far more cases than were reported in the country.
