Iraqi forces Archives - Iran News Daily

Major Operation Launched against ISIS in Mosul

reporter 1222 — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 10:12:03 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi forces launched a major operation in Mosul, the center of Nineveh, to clear the area of the remnants of ISIS terrorists.

“The joint forces have begun liberating the Kanous Island from ISIS, using artillery and airstrikes,” a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Shafaq News agency on Monday.

A floating walkway will be also set up to the island to help forces in their anti-terror fight in the northern city of Mosul, the source added.

In recent months, suspected ISIS militants have stepped up attacks, particularly in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin (north), and Diyala (east), known as the “Triangle of Death”.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS by reclaiming all of its territory – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terrorist group in 2014.

However, the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in some areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks.

The Iraqi army and popular forces continue to carry out frequent operations against the terror group in these parts of the country.

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Security of Arbaeen Processions in Hands of PMU Forces

reporter 1222 — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 11:38:22 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The chairman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, said the anti-terror resistance group will oversee the security of Arbaeen processions underway in the Arab country.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Falih al-Fayyadh stressed that despite all challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Hashd al-Sha’abi has managed to provide security for Arbaeen processions.

Hashd al-Shaabi forces are involved in many security and support programs to safeguard the rituals, al-Forat news agency quoted Fayyadh as saying, according to Press TV.

Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shiite imam, along with 72 of his companions in the Battle of Karbala, in southern Iraq, in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I.

Each year, Millions of Muslim mourners set off on a symbolic 80-kilometer walk that begins from Najaf, where Imam Hossein’s father Imam Ali (AS) is buried, to the holy city of Karbala, where Imam Hussein’s shrine is located.

Accommodating the pilgrims along the road, as well as in both Najaf and Karbala, are thousands of make-shift tents, also known as mawkibs, that provide a wide range of services from votive food to medical care.

This year, however, foreign pilgrims have been barred from visiting Iraq due to the coronavirus outbreak and the Arbaeen march will be held with the participation of local Iraqis only.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Fayyadh said the Arbaeen pilgrimage has united the Iraqi people and Hashd al-Shaabi, adding that the pro-government group will help the nation solve its problems.

“We promise Iraq’s religious authority and people that Hashd al-Shaabi will remain the guardian of Iraqi sovereignty and beyond all disputes,” he noted.

Hashd al-Shaabi is a government-sponsored umbrella organization composed of around 40 factions of volunteer counter-terrorism forces, including mostly Shiite Muslims besides Sunni Muslims, Christians and Kurds.

Its formation goes back to the summer of 2014, shortly after Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror group, showed its face and managed to occupy swathes of territory in Iraq.

Hashd al-Shaabi’s efficient role in Daesh’s defeat turned the force into a permanent and broadly-popular feature of Iraq’s social, political and security landscapes, despite attempts by the US and its allies to depict the group’s mission as sectarian in nature.

In November 2016, the Iraqi parliament recognized Hashd al-Shaabi as an official force with similar rights as those of the regular army, therefore legally establishing it as part of the National Armed Forces.

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Iraqi Security Arrests Senior ISIS Members in Baghdad

reporter 1222 — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 07:42:56 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi security forces arrested two senior members of the ISIS terror group in the capital Baghdad, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry.

A ministry statement on Sunday said one of the militants was responsible for the terror group’s intelligence unit in the western city of Fallujah, Anadolu Agency reported.

It added that the two terrorists had confessed to taking part in carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS by reclaiming all of its territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terrorist group in 2014. However, the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks.

The Iraqi army and popular forces continue to carry out operations against the terrorist group.

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Iraqi Aircraft Kill 23 ISIS Members in Kirkuk

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:31:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi military aircraft bombarded an ISIS terror group hideout south of Kirkuk, managing to kill 23 of them, security sources said.

According to the sources, 23 ISIS militants were killed on Monday after Iraqi aircraft bombed their hideout in Kirkuk’s Wadi al-Shay area following reconnaissance operations by the Arab country’s military.

Earlier in the day, an attack on the district of Molla Abdollah in southern Kirkuk was repelled by Iraqi troops.

During the recent clashes in Kirkuk, one Iraqi serviceman was killed and four others injured, the sources added.

ISIS has intensified its attacks in Iraq amid Baghdad’s call on the US to pull out its forces from the Arab country.

In a vote on January 5, the Iraqi parliament called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including Americans.

The vote came two days after the US military – acting on US President Donald Trump’s order – launched a fatal drone strike on senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

The attack also claimed the lives of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU or Hashd al-Sha’abi, along with eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

Washington has threatened sanctions should US troops be expelled instead of heeding the Iraqi parliament’s call to end the occupation of the country.

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