Under the title "Iraq.. Sadr Warns of the Flames of Sectarian Strife in Diyala," the Arabic website reported on a tweet by the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr. The report highlighted that Sadr warned of the flames of discord in the province, noting that it is captive to militias, smuggling, allegiance, and terrorism. In a tweet on Tuesday, he stated, "The danger is looming over Diyala province, and the flames of sectarian strife are being stirred by some." He also added that "the security forces must work diligently and swiftly to protect the borders and rapidly deploy to mitigate the dangers."
This warning from Sadr comes after a week from an attack carried out by ISIS militants on the predominantly Shia village of al-Rashad in the Muqdadiyah district, which resulted in the death of 11 individuals according to official estimates. Following that attack, armed militants targeted the residents of the Sunni village of Nahr al-Imam, in retaliation for the killing of their sons by ISIS, leading to 8 fatalities and the burning of homes and gardens. The recent violence has caused dozens of families to flee their homes towards safer areas in Diyala and other provinces, according to local media, fearing further attacks or retaliatory violence from ISIS.
Additionally, Iraqi authorities have imposed a night curfew in the Muqdadiyah district starting from 6 PM until 6 AM since last week. Recently, Iraqi forces launched extensive military campaigns and combing operations to pursue the remnants of ISIS across the country.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji pledged on Wednesday to hold accountable those responsible for the "massacre" in Diyala. It is noteworthy that in recent months, the frequency of attacks by suspected ISIS militants has increased, particularly in the area between Kirkuk and Salah al-Din (north) and Diyala (east), known as the "triangle of death." Meanwhile, Iraqi forces conduct sporadic military operations to track down remnants of the organization throughout the country. Iraq declared victory over ISIS in 2017, having regained all its territory seized by the group in the summer of 2014; however, ISIS still maintains sleeper cells in vast areas and carries out sporadic attacks.
