The Security Media Cell in Iraq announced the launch of a military operation to hunt ISIS cells in Salah al-Din Governorate (north), and a security source said today, Tuesday, that four members of the tribal crowd were killed in an attack by the organization in the Kirkuk Governorate (North).
The Security Media Cell stated that the military operations of the army and the popular crowd were launched from four axes against ISIS elements, this morning, Tuesday, to search for ISIS operatives within the Machikhefah area (south of Tikrit, the center of Salah al-Din Governorate), and the areas adjacent to the west of the Tigris River.
The district of Machkhefa was subjected last night to an attack by the Islamic State on the sites of the crowd.
The Security Media Cell announced the killing of three of the organization's leaders, as part of military operations called "Desert Lions", which were launched yesterday morning in Anbar Province (west).
On the other hand, a security source said that the organization launched, at dawn today, an attack targeting a security barrier for the tribal crowd in the outskirts of the Rashad area (south of Kirkuk), and after an hour of clash, four members of the tribal crowd were killed and three others were wounded.
This comes at a time when Tehran has accused Washington of responsibility for the escalating ISIS violence. Whereas, US Defense Secretary Mark Esber said that Iran's support for militias in Iraq is destabilizing his security and threatening US national security.
In 2017, Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State, but the organization still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq, and launches attacks at various times, as the Ministry of Defense revealed last April that 170 civilians and soldiers were killed, along with 135 ISIS operatives. During confrontations and violence since last January.