ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least four Iraqi soldiers were killed on Wednesday in a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) ambush in Kirkuk province, the army said, as Baghdad continues to battle jihadist remnants in the country.
“At 10:00 am on Wednesday, a force from the 42nd Intelligence Brigade of the 11th Division was ambushed while carrying out a reconnaissance and inspection duty in the Zghitun Valley, within the Kirkuk Operations Command sector,” Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq’s interior ministry and the army’s Security Media Cell, said in a statement.
“The ambush resulted in the martyrdom of four fighters and the injury of three others,” the statement added.
The area in western Kirkuk previously has been used as a hideout for ISIS fighters.
“The force was reinforced and the terrorist detachment was surrounded,” Miri said, adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
ISIS seized control of large swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The militants have taken shelter in a security vacuum in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, Nineveh, and Diyala.
Iraqi security forces have intensified their operations against ISIS cells in recent months, particularly in the disputed areas.
The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) spokesperson Sabah al-Numan told Rudaw on Tuesday about the recent rise in ISIS activities around Kirkuk .
“The organization [ISIS] tries to remain hidden and avoid security forces,” Numan said, adding that the militants are taking refuge in mountainous and rural areas away from the city.
Despite the increase in activity, Numan described ISIS as being in its “weakest state,” suffering from a lack of logistical, financial, and popular support, with no central leadership or unified decision-making.
