Iraqi Kurdistan President Barzani: Inherent Resolve is still necessary to defeat Isis. Attacks by the Islamic State have increased in recent times

In Iraq, there is still a need for Inherent Resolve to defeat Isis. Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani reiterated this, contesting the unilateral decision of the Baghdad parliament to ask US soldiers to leave the country after the killing of the Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani. At a press conference, Barzani explained that there is still a need for support from the US-led International Coalition to fight the Islamic State. The confirmation comes from the fact that the Daesh attacks have increased in the last period and that the ISF are insufficient at the moment to guarantee the protection of all. It is no coincidence that in several rural villages, such as Makhmour, surveillance bodies were created by the inhabitants to protect themselves from the increasingly frequent raids by the jihadists. “From what we see – concluded the president – terrorist operations are systematically increasing and this worries all Iraq”.

Daesh is increasing its ranks and activities on the border between Iraq and Syria and between Kurdistan and the rest of the country. The discovery of a maxi bomb depot in Kirkuk is another element confirming this thesis

In particular, there is great concern about the activities of the Isis cells along the borders between Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of the country, as well as those with Syria. Here it seems that numerous groups of the Islamic State have taken refuge, and see their ranks growing every day. Not surprisingly, the area is frequently involved in ISF and Peshmerga operations against Daesh. The latest saw local federal police seize at least 65 explosive devices and a large amount of material used to make bombs in Kirkuk. These would later be used in attacks on soldiers and the population. The large finding, however, is anomalous. Those that have taken place so far, in fact, were of a much smaller size. It is feared, therefore, that it is a further element confirming that IS is increasing considerably the activities in the quadrant.