Member of parliamentarian Security and Defense Committee Abdul-Khaliq Al-Azzawi told Anadolu Agency that the defense minister had appointed Major General Adnan Al-Enezi to succeed Major General Saleh Nasser in running the security file in Diyala.

Al-Azzawi confirmed that the commander took up his new responsibilities on Friday, issuing no explanation for the reshuffle.

The changes came amidst escalation of terrorist groups in the “Triangle of Death”, an area between the Diyala, Kirkuk and Salahuddin governorates. The terror groups are expected to be ISIS affiliates.

In August, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi appointed Major General Raad Lijbour as the new commander to succeed Major General Ghassan Al-Azzi, who was ousted from his post.

In 2017, Iraq announced victory over ISIS after reclaiming all the lands occupied by the terror group. However, ISIS still maintains silent cells in wide areas in the country and continues to carry out attacks.