Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced on Monday the launch of a military operation in the Tarmiyah district north of Baghdad to pursue the dormant cells of the ISIS terrorist organization. This is the second operation launched by Iraqi forces to combat ISIS in northern Baghdad within 10 days. The announcement of the military operation took place during Al-Kadhimi's visit to the Tarmiyah area, according to his office's media account on Twitter.
Al-Kadhimi stated, "Combating terrorism is a collective responsibility that everyone must participate in, and eliminating terrorism and drying up its sources requires determination and strength from you, as well as cooperation between the state and citizens." He added, "We must revisit the security plans in place to confront the dormant cells and prevent any recurrence of breaches, and additional forces will be deployed in Tarmiyah."
He urged the local residents to "continue cooperating and report any suspicious movements in the area to confront the ISIS terrorist gangs." A couple of days ago, the Tarmiyah area witnessed an ISIS attack on a headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, resulting in the deaths of three militia members.
Iraqi forces launched an operation on August 14 against the remnants of the ISIS terrorist organization north of the capital. The operation was carried out by the Baghdad Operations Command, supported by air forces and the international coalition against ISIS, in addition to special police units, federal police, and Popular Mobilization Forces.
This comes amid a rise in attacks targeting electricity towers in Iraq, from the north to the south. It is noteworthy that Iraq declared victory over ISIS in late 2017; however, the terrorist organization has persisted in the form of cells that remain in remote areas, using them as safe havens for occasional attacks.
