Ahmed Al-Dabbagh-Al Jazeera Net
During the past two months, Iraq recorded dozens of attacks by ISIS militants in the governorates of Anbar (west), Salah al-Din, Kirkuk, Nineveh (north) and Diyala (east), which killed and wounded dozens, most of whom were security forces, which re-talked about the return of the activity of ISIS fighters and their ownership of the initiative Once again, almost three years after the Iraqi forces regained control of all the cities occupied by the organization.
These attacks coincide with the withdrawal of American forces from about a dozen bases in various governorates, and their presence in Ain al-Assad base in Anbar Governorate and the Harir base in Arbil.
The army is capable
The spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, affirms that the escalation of "terrorist" operations against Iraqi forces came after a series of painful strikes received by the Islamic State, and that the latter had no ability to stay in any location for more than 20 minutes.
Regarding the recent targeting of the Popular Mobilization fighters in the Makchivia area of Salah al-Din Governorate at dawn last Saturday, Al-Khafaji confirmed to Al-Jazeera Net that the targeting resulted in the killing of ten members of the crowd and the wounding of others, while he indicated that military operations in Nineveh, Anbar, and Diyala are still continuing and the Iraqi forces have managed to neutralize Several ISIS fighters have seized their weapons and equipment in the past weeks.
Al-Khafaji denied that the Iraqi forces had been affected by the withdrawal of the American forces, stressing that the Iraqi Air Force and F-16 aircraft are still working efficiently with the presence of the necessary ammunition and the ongoing maintenance of Iraqi cadres.
As for the member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee for the Al-Fateh Alliance Karim Alioui, he attributed the escalation of the organization’s activity to the political dispute between the Iraqi parties, and that Washington recently allowed the state to return to armed activity to pressure Iraqi politicians to form the government, noting that the organization exploits the economic situation and the Corona virus in an escalation His attacks.
| Al-Zamili considered that Iraq has become a hostage of American support by relying on American technology in armaments (Iraqi press) |
Withdrawal effect
For his part, the leader of the Sadrist movement and the former head of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Governor of Zamili, attributed the escalation of the organization’s attacks to the influence of the Iraqi military establishment on changes and political attraction, and that this institution is witnessing significant interference through partisan attraction to nominate some leaders for security positions, which led to corruption Some are preoccupied with smuggling oil and collecting royalties.
Al-Zamili goes on to Al-Jazeera Net to indicate that the withdrawal of the American forces from the important areas greatly affected the field situation in two ways, one of which is Iraq’s reliance on American air support, monitoring and control, while the Iraqi government neglects building an integrated security system.
He added that the F-16s and the Iraqi Abrams tanks depend in their maintenance and armament on America, and that Iraq, since it did not place conditions and restrictions in the armament and equipping contracts with Washington regardless of the presence or withdrawal of its forces, it has become a hostage to American support.
| Al-Nujaifi: The recent attacks of the Islamic State indicate that its capabilities are gradually developing (Al-Jazeera) |
Al-Nujaifi believes that the activity of the organization will escalate with the withdrawal of American forces, as Washington shared intelligence and air support with Baghdad, and that Iraqi intelligence groups, which often work on the task of pursuing political opponents, cannot be relied upon.
At the end of his talk to Al Jazeera Net, he points out that Iraq may go through "difficult" days next summer, in light of the deteriorating economic situation and the continuing Iranian pivot that contributes to Iraq not obtaining the support of the international coalition, according to Nujaifi.
| Another aspect of the Iraqi army's move to counter the (French) |
Although Iraq has significant human resources in its security system, security expert Hisham Al-Hashemi, in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net, confirms that the American withdrawal affected the Iraqi readiness in techniques that Baghdad lacks espionage, air surveillance, communications, intelligence, and the Air Force.
Al-Hashemi adds that this led to the emergence of many fragile areas that Iraq cannot move towards, as before the withdrawal, stressing that the organization believes that what was defeated in the land of empowerment is the role of the international operational coalition, not Iraqi forces.
| Researcher and strategic expert Maan Al-Jubouri (Al-Jazeera) |
Al-Jubouri added in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that the United States was a big factor in supporting Iraq on the supplementary and logistical level and in liberating cities, and that the withdrawal was invested by the state organization in moving more freely.
He believes that the organization did not end in 2017, but only the caliphate was destroyed, so that its fighters would return to the deserts and caves again to resume their previous activity.
The Iraqis fear that the attacks and activity of the organization will escalate to what it was before it seized control of large areas of Iraq in June 2014.