ICC Note: Security forces in the Ninawa Governorate, home to most of Iraq’s dwindling Christian population, are on high alert after 60 ISIS vehicles entered the country from Syria. The vehicles have reportedly entered a town near Sinjar. Although ISIS has been militarily defeated in that it no longer holds large pieces of territory, a number of sporadic villages remain under their control. It is also unknown how many sleeper cells are present in Ninawa. The security situation continues to deteriorate as Iraq currently lacks a government.
07/13/2018 Iraq (Iraq News) – Iraqi troops have been on high alert after 60 vehicles of Islamic State members reportedly sneaked into Iraq coming from the Syrian side, a military source said on Wednesday.
“Information received by the military task force indicated that 60 vehicles of Islamic State members coming from Syria entered Iraq and specifically into Baaj town,” Col. Saad al-Marsoumi, of Nineveh Operations Command told Anadolu news agency.
The convoy, according to Marsoumi, is provided with weapons to carry out terrorist operations.
“Iraqi troops have been on high alert to handle the violation,” he added, indicating “a military plan that was drawn over the past few hours. All armed units, backed by fighter jets, will take part to end the violation.”
Marsoumi also stressed that “Iraqi-Syrian borders are so long. They need new security plans in order to control it and prevent infiltration of militants.”
Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.
In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, the group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.
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