Shafaq News- Kirkuk
A security gap along the border between Iraq’s northern Kirkuk Provinceand the Kurdistan Region is allowing ISIS remnants to move and hide, a seniorIraqi official reported on Sunday, citing limited coordination between federalsecurity forces and Peshmerga units deployed in the area.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Ahmed Ramzi Kuperlu, head of the Security andDefense Committee in Kirkuk’s Provincial Council, urged both sides to takeurgent steps to strengthen coordination and establish a more stable security frameworkto protect civilians and reinforce stability across Kirkuk and nearbydistricts.
He also described the recent operation by Iraq’s Counter-TerrorismService (CTS) in the mountainous belt north of Kirkuk as a “painful blow” toISIS, crediting the force’s readiness and professionalism.
On Saturday, Iraqi F-16 Fighting Falcon jets conducted three airstrikestargeting remaining ISIS hideouts in Kirkuk province. The renewed air campaignfollowed a ground operation launched to inspect sites struck on July 4. Duringthe sweep, Iraqi forces came under fire, resulting in the death of one ISISmilitant and a first lieutenant from Iraq’s CTS.
Despite its territorial defeat in 2017, ISIS continues to operate inIraq as an insurgent network in remote desert and rural areas, particularly inDiyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar provinces. In the first half of 2026,Iraqi security forces dismantled four ISIS cells, carried out around 80preemptive operations, and issued 479 arrest warrants under the country’s Anti-TerrorismLaw, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
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