{"id":45522,"date":"2020-05-03T14:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T14:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/05\/03\/isis-extremists-step-up-as-iraq-syria-grapple-with-virus\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:19:12","slug":"isis-extremists-step-up-as-iraq-syria-grapple-with-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/2020\/05\/03\/isis-extremists-step-up-as-iraq-syria-grapple-with-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"ISIS extremists step up attacks as Iraq, Syria grapple with virus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BAGHDAD \u2014 The man wearing an explosive vest emerged from a car and calmly marched toward the gates of the intelligence building in Iraq\u2019s northern city of Kirkuk. When he ignored their shouts to halt, guards opened fire, and he blew himself up, wounding three security personnel in the first week of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Days later, a three-pronged coordinated attack killed 10 Iraqi militia fighters in the northern province of Salahaddin \u2014 the deadliest and most complex operation in many months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assaults are the latest in a resurgence of attacks by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq. The first was a brazen suicide mission not seen in months. The second was among the most complex attacks since the group\u2019s defeat in 2017. In neighboring Syria, ISIS attacks on security forces, oil fields and civilian sites have also intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The renewed mayhem is a sign that the militant group is taking advantage of governments absorbed in tackling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=_blank>the coronavirus pandemic<\/a> and the ensuing slide into economic chaos. The virus is compounding longtime concerns among security and U.N. experts that the group would stage a comeback after its \u201ccaliphate,\u201d which once encompassed a third of Iraq and Syria, was brought down last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/04\/17\/watch-coalition-aircraft-pummeling-isis-fighters-in-iraq\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39788629613_6c0f19625c_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Watch coalition aircraft pummeling ISIS fighters in Iraq<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cThe ISF\u2019s ability to target and punish Daesh in this isolated territory confirms that these Daesh criminals have no safe haven.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Iraq, militants also exploit security gaps at a time of an ongoing territorial dispute and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/03\/20\/us-led-coalition-troops-pull-out-of-base-in-western-iraq\/\" target=_blank>a U.S. troop drawdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a real threat,\u201d said Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the northern Kurdish region of Iraq. \u201cThey are mobilizing and killing us in the north and they will start hitting Baghdad soon.\u201d He said ISIS was benefiting from a \u201cgap\u201d between Kurdish forces and federal armed forces caused by political infighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Intelligence reports say the number of ISIS fighters in Iraq is believed to be 2,500-3,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In northeast Syria, Kurdish-dominated police have become a more visible target for ISIS as they patrol the streets to implement anti-virus measures, said Mervan Qamishlo, a spokesman for U.S.-allied Kurdish-led forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISIS fighters in late March launched a campaign of attacks in government-held parts of Syria, from the central province of Homs all the way to Deir el-Zour to the east, bordering Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some 500 fighters, including some who had escaped from prison, recently slipped from Syria into Iraq, helping fuel the surge in violence there, Iraqi intelligence officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISIS is shifting from local intimidation to more complex attacks, three Iraqi military officials and experts said. Operations previously focused on assassinations of local officials and less sophisticated attacks. Now the group is carrying out more IED attacks, shootings and ambushes of police and military. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/06\/us-forces-preparing-to-withdraw-from-iraq\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6006298.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In Iraq pullout plan, Esper says DoD has made \u2018no decision whatsoever\u2019<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cIn order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner.&quot;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Multiple factors help the militants. The number of Iraqi military personnel on duty has dropped 50% because of virus prevention measures, the military officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, territorial disputes between Baghdad and authorities from the northern Kurdish autonomy zone have left parts of three provinces without law enforcement. The rugged landscape is difficult to police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The uptick also coincides with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/03\/29\/us-pulls-out-of-a-third-base-in-iraq\/\" target=_blank> a pullout of U.S.-led coalition forces<\/a> from bases in western Iraq, Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces in line with a drawdown conceived in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore the emergence of the virus and before the American withdrawal, the operations were negligible, numbering only one operation per week,\u201d said a senior intelligence official. Now, he said, security forces are seeing an average of 20 operations a month. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coalition spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III said ISIS attacks were increasing in reaction to operations against its hideouts in the mountains and rural areas of north-central Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Islamic State militant flag\" class=\"wp-image-90187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20123428182274.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this March 23, 2019, file, photo, an Islamic State militant flag lies in a tent encampment after U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters took control of Baghouz, Syria. (Maya Alleruzzo\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iraqi military officials believe the improved, organized nature of the attacks serves to cement the influence of new ISIS leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/31\/conan-might-want-to-cancel-his-white-house-plans-isis-just-named-new-leader\/\" target=_blank>Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi<\/a>, who was named after his predecessor was killed in a U.S. raid late last year. One military official said more operations are expected during Ramadan to demonstrate the new leader\u2019s strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Syria, one of the most significant attacks occurred April 9, when ISIS fighters attacked government positions in and near the town of Sukhna. The government brought in reinforcements for a counterattack backed by Russian airstrikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two days of fighting left 32 troops and 26 ISIS gunmen dead, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the country\u2019s nine-year war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Days later, the government said that because of the security situation in the desert several gas wells in the fields of Shaer and Hayan were damaged, leading to a 30% drop in electricity production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in Iraq, the green pastures of the northern village of Kujalo conceal a hidden enemy that keeps resident Nawzad up at night. His farming community lies in a disputed territory that has witnessed a sharp increase in attacks, including a nearby ambush earlier this month that killed two peshmerga officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the militants have local collaborators. \u201cThey know everything about each farm in Kulajo and they know to whom each house belongs,\u201d he said, asking to be identified only by his first name, fearing reprisals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The militants also receive shelter, supplies, food and transport from local sympathizers, said Kurdish Brig. Kamal Mahmoud. His peshmerga forces are based on part of the front lines there, but can\u2019t operate in other parts run by government troops \u2014 and there, he said, the overstretched security forces control only main roads with no presence in villages and towns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On April 1, a federal police officer was killed, and a battalion commander and brigadier general wounded in a security operation in the Makhoul mountain range in Diyala. Two days later, an IED attack targeted a patrol of a commando regiment of the Diyala Operations Command in the outskirts of Maadan village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sartip, a Kujalo resident, said he fears the militants\u2019 improved capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIS has been carrying out attacks in Kurdish areas for a long time, but now they are more organized and have more people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Salar Salim contributed from Irbil, Iraq. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The renewed mayhem is a sign that the militant group is taking advantage of governments absorbed in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing slide into economic 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ISIS extremists step up attacks as Iraq, Syria grapple with virus - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The renewed mayhem is a sign that the militant group is taking advantage of governments absorbed in tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing slide into economic chaos.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ISIS extremists step up attacks as Iraq, Syria grapple with virus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The renewed mayhem is a sign that the militant group is taking advantage of governments absorbed in tackling the coronavirus 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content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/03\\\/isis-extremists-step-up-as-iraq-syria-grapple-with-virus\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/03\\\/isis-extremists-step-up-as-iraq-syria-grapple-with-virus\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"ISIS extremists step up attacks as Iraq, Syria grapple with virus\",\n\t            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