ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Islamic State (ISIS) remnants attacked Kurdish security forces (Asayesh) in Diyala province’s Kolajo sub-district near the Iranian border late on Friday, killing a commander and two of its members.
After initial mortar shelling on the village, the men were attacked while investigating the source of the mortar fire.
Four other members and three civilians were injured.
Located in Kifri, south of Kirkuk, Kolajo has been attacked by ISIS sleeper cells multiple times. It is regarded as a disputed area between both Erbil and Baghdad.
The disputed territories have become a hotspot for ISIS activity amid a security vacuum.
"ISIS combat power remains in restricted terrain and unpopulated areas where there is little to no local security presence," said a recent report by the Pentagon Inspector General.
Halo Mohammed, Rudaw’s reporter at the scene, said that the attack killed two Asayesh members, Jum’a Abd and Mahmoud Jum’a, and severely injured the commander, Simko Ali, who then died early on Saturday.
He added that four members of Asayesh and three civilians, a woman and two children, were injured in the attack.
Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), expressed his sadness over the loss of the Asayesh members.
“I am saddened by the martyrdom of two members of Garmiyan Asayesh, and I wish speedy recovery for those injured in tonight’s attack on Kolajo,” he tweeted.
A funeral has been held for Ali, his coffin draped in Kurdistan’s flag flanked by a crowd of mourners.
Rahman Khorshid , Major Ali's cousin spoke of the commander's bravery and the continued fight against ISIS.
"Iraq and the US often say in the media that Daesh is over. We celebrated our victory over them. However, every day we see the martyrdom of brave men like Simko by Daesh ," he said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
He was a fearless man who had been injured three times but kept fighting. He returned to the front lines despite a head injury. He did not abandon his colleagues" Khorshid said of his cousin.
"If there was an attack on Asayesh at midnight, Simko would go there."
He added that one of the commanders of ISF was impressed by Simko, who was respected by Arabs as well as Kurds.
"Even Arabs asked him to go and protect them," he said.
Kifri is in Diyala province, 188 kilometers southeast of Erbil between the Kurdish city of Kalar and Tuz Khurmatu.
ISIS remnants attacked the same forces in Kifri on July 31, killing four and injuring eight.
At least four Italian soldiers were wounded in the area while conducting anti-ISIS operations in early November.
The area was also frequently attacked by ISIS fighters before the group was declared defeated in Iraq in December 2017.
Concern over the revival of the terror group has increased since the start of Operation Peace Spring in Syria, which has seen ISIS militants break out of prisons run by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
A number of suspected ISIS fighters were arrested at the Iraq-Syria border last month, prompting the deployment of additional Iraqi troops to boost security.
The latest Pentagon inspector general report covering July 1 to Oct 25 said that the Islamic State continued to cement and expand its command and control structure in Iraq, enabling the group to stage more attacks.
"ISIS in Iraq conducted both attacks of opportunity, such as improvised bombs and hit-and-run attacks, and attacks designed to intimidate or gain influence, such as assassinations, kidnappings, and sniper attacks,” the report read, citing the Combined Joint Task Force–OIR (CJTF-OIR) which leads the fights against ISIS.
According to CJTF-OIR, 124 clearance operations were conducted against ISIS during the reporting period, in which Iraqi forces killed approximately 13 ISIS fighters and captured approximately 123 fighters.
The report says that "Diyala province and areas of southeastern Ninewa province, in particular, experienced increased ISIS activity, while ISIS activity in Anbar, Kirkuk, and Salah ad Din
provinces had subsided."
Blaming Iraqi forces for lack of forces in these areas, the report says that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) "operations in Diyala were limited in part due to the province’s “close proximity” to the Iranian border."
