By Anas al-Bar | 2024-02-19

As Iraqi forces continue to pursue "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) remnants in different parts of the country, experts stress the importance of maintaining US military support until the extremist group stops posing a threat.

They point to recent security achievements against ISIS remnants in Iraq, which reflect the advancement of Iraqi military capabilities, aided by the US-led international coalition to defeat ISIS.

The international coalition, also known as Operation Inherent Resolve, helped Iraq expel ISIS from the towns and cities it controlled between 2014 and 2017.

Since 2018, the focus of the partnership between Iraq and the coalition has shifted from combat action to more-comprehensive efforts to oust ISIS remnants and build stability and intelligence and logistical cooperation.

Operation Inherent Resolve personnel also advise, train and provide Iraqi security personnel with the technologies needed to upgrade their skills to pursue extremist elements and protect the country's borders.

The war against terror groups "does not rely on human power as much as it relies primarily on technology," strategy expert Ahmed al-Sharifi told Al-Fassel.

There is an urgent need to strengthen cooperation with the United States and other coalition countries since they possess "the technologies needed to ensure the success of any attack or air strike," he said.

US forces provide radar coverage for Iraqi jet fighter sorties when they strike terrorist hideouts, he said, as well as radar support for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

These missions serve as "an indispensable source of intelligence in monitoring enemy activity" and in preventing attacks against Iraqi forces, he added.

In the absence of coalition support, or in the event it is reduced, it would not be possible to accurately track the movements of ISIS elements or ascertain their level of readiness, especially given the geographically complex terrain, he said.

Al-Sharifi said that ongoing talks between Iraq and the United States aim to "normalize" the security relationship between the two sides in the long term, based on the strategic framework agreements concluded previously.

A second round of open-ended talks between Iraqi and US military officials to chart the path of bilateral military cooperation and operations against ISIS remnants took place February 11. A first round began January 27.

Iraq also is engaging other members of the coalition in these discussions.

The departure of US troops from Iraq will take into account the security situation on the ground and the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces, Gen. Yahya Rasul, military spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, said in a statement posted on X.

The resumed meetings will continue to chart a path to a new bilateral relationship "as long as nothing disturbs the peace of the talks," he said.

Pursuing ISIS remnants

Iraqi forces have meanwhile continued to pursue ISIS remnants, with an air force strike killing five members of the group on February 5 and destroying their hideout in the Hawi al-Azim area of Diyala province.

The area on the Salaheddine-Kirkuk border, where the hideout was situated, has served previously as a haven for ISIS because of its complex terrain and dense foliage.

It also serves as a conduit between several towns and cities, notably Samarra.

The strike was part of a broader operation, launched January 21, "to destroy the secret hideouts of terrorists in the areas along the borders of Diyala, Kirkuk and Salaheddine," said Security Media Cell director Maj. Gen. Tahseen al-Khafaji.

Army units and elite forces from the Counter-Terrorism Service are participating in the operation, along with several security agencies, with air cover from the Iraqi air force.

The February 5 strike was preceded by raids on ISIS remnants in al-Azim and the Hamreen hills within the Diyala Operations Sector and in Wadi al-Shay and the farmlands stretching from southern and western Kirkuk to Salaheddine.

Several "hardened" extremist elements were killed during the raids, and rest houses and weapons caches they had been using were destroyed, al-Khafaji said.

Successful operations

On January 7, Iraqi aircraft destroyed three rest houses in Diyala and killed five ISIS elements with a long history of criminal activity, including the commander of ISIS's al-Waqf sector, Majid Mayouf al-Dulaimi.

"Any strike or (security) operation is preceded by a major effort to collect and crosscheck information between the intelligence service and security and intelligence agencies," al-Khafaji said.

Data and images are analyzed and orders are issued to army aircraft to strike the specified targets, he said, pointing to the resulting success of the raids.

As part of these ongoing operations, elite units on February 5 arrested three ISIS remnants in Diyala and Kirkuk.

They also destroyed the group's warehouses, which contained stacks of weapons, missiles and explosive devices, and posed a threat to residents of these areas.

These operations are conducted in conjunction with quasi-daily security missions conducted by police, intelligence and national security personnel, which have led to the arrest of dozens of ISIS elements since the beginning of the year.