2024-03-05 13:04:18
A bombing in the “side” of Baghdad revives fears of the return of “ISIS”
The explosion of an explosive device, north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, recalled the security tension that the region has witnessed in the past few years, despite the operations carried out by the authorities there, and raised fears of the return of ISIS activity, which once controlled large parts of the country.
The bombing that targeted a military convoy in the town of Tarmiya, on Friday, resulted in the deaths of two people and the wounding of 10 others, including a regiment commander.
Observers considered the operation evidence of the existence of an incubating environment for the remnants of the organization in the region, and warned of the deterioration of the security situation in the town.
Tarmiya is located north of Baghdad along the Tigris River between Baqubah to the east, Taji to the south, and Dujail to the north. It is one of the important areas administratively because it connects four governorates: Baghdad, Salah al-Din, Diyala, and Anbar. However, the district, which is characterized by the density of its agricultural lands, has always been a “soft side” exploited by fighters. ISIS” even following the liberation operations from the organization’s control.
The head of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee was quoted by the Arab World News Agency as saying, “The continued security breaches in Tarmiyah confirm the presence of ISIS cells within the district and the availability of safe havens for them. This constitutes a threat to the entire capital, Baghdad, and not just the town.”
Al-Muhammadawi added: “Imposing security in Tarmiyah requires an intensive intelligence effort to uncover terrorist havens and those who provide protection for terrorists in some orchards, as we cannot remain silent any longer regarding the repetition of these violations, which always result in deaths and injuries among the ranks of the Iraqi forces.”
After the incident, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi visited the Tarmiyah district and ordered an investigation into the incident.
The Iraqi Minister of Defense visits the notables of Tarmiya following a bombing targeted an army patrol on Friday (Ministry of Defense)
Security operation
For his part, the leader of the Coordination Framework Alliance supporting the government, Ali Al-Fatlawi, called for “launching a broad security operation in the Tarmiyah areas, especially the agricultural ones, to reduce repeated violations there and fully impose security, like the rest of the dangerous cities that have been controlled.”
Al-Fatlawi said: “The survival of Tarmiyah without real security and military solutions puts it at a level of danger no less than Jurf al-Sakhar (in Babylon Governorate, south of Baghdad), especially since there are areas in Tarmiyah that are still not completely secured.”
Jurf al-Sakhar was one of the most dangerous areas before it was liberated from ISIS in 2014 due to its rugged terrain and the density of orchards and trees in which ISIS fighters took shelter. It was a launching pad for car bombs and bombing operations that struck the center and south of the country.
Last year, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani urged the people of Tarmiyah to cooperate and not allow “deviants and terrorists” to infiltrate and fuel strife.
The Minister of Defense orders the opening of an investigation into the incident of detonating an explosive device on an army patrol in Tarmiyah. On Friday, March 1, 2024, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi, inspected the Sixth Division district in the Tarmiyah district, accompanied by a number of senior officers of the Ministry of Defense, and was received by an operations commander. Baghdad. And he went out… pic.twitter.com/ojOjinBAUB
– Iraqi Ministry of Defense (@modmiliq) March 1, 2024
Security analyst Adnan Al-Kanani said that the repeated security breaches in this region “indicate a security defect and failure.”
Al-Kanani added, according to the Arab World News Agency, that “there is misleading in the statements of some government and military officials regarding the claim that the security services are in complete control of the Tarmiyah district, as this is not true.”
Last week, a house in the Tarmiya district was attacked by bullets and RPG shells, causing significant damage, but there were no reports of casualties.
Difficult geography
Military expert Sarmad Al-Bayati said that full security control over the Tarmiyah district is difficult “because of the openness of the district and its borders to the east, west and north, and the presence of agricultural areas with orchards and dense trees, and this makes it difficult to have full security control over all areas.”
Al-Bayati said: “The density of agricultural areas within the Tarmiyah district obscures the view in some areas to a meter or two, which causes security and military difficulty in eliminating ISIS cells, and at the same time contributes to carrying out criminal operations once morest military sectors from time to time.”
He added: “Pursuing ISIS cells in Tarmiyah district is like a guerrilla war, and this battle requires a long time, and the most appropriate solution to control security inside Tarmiyah is to form groups of people from the same areas so that they essentially bear the responsibility of protecting it and controlling security there.”
The Iraqi authorities say that the capabilities of the security services have developed greatly over the past years, and they are able to combat the organization without the need for foreign forces, which prompted them, under political pressure from factions loyal to Iran, to demand that the “International Coalition” end its mission in the country.
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