Military operation against IS in Iraq

The Iraqi army is conducting a comprehensive operation against the so-called "Islamic State" in the Diyala Governorate.

The Iraqi army launched an operation against the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) in the Diyala Governorate on Saturday with hundreds of soldiers on the border with Iran. According to army spokesman Yahya Resul, fighter jets of the international coalition against the IS are also involved in the operation. Five IS members have been killed so far.

The Turkish invasion in northern Syria, which began last fall, has massively strengthened the IS. Jihadists who had managed to flee into the desert in the Syrian-Iraqi border region during the liberation offensive "Cizîrê Storm" of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were able to reorganize themselves largely unhindered. Since then, attacks by IS cells have become increasingly frequent in the region. In Iraq, locations in Salahaddin, Diyala, Ninawa and Kirkuk are particularly affected.

In northeast Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), together with the international anti-IS coalition, conducted a comprehensive operation against IS in June. During this operation, over one hundred terrorist suspects were arrested and numerous weapons were confiscated.