Iraqi soldiers search for IS along Tigris River
Iraqi army soldiers look for IS fighters in Samarra, where IS has been active during the coronavirus lockdown in the country.
The Iraqi army is not known for its aquatic capabilities, but Iraqi soldiers in boats searched for Islamic State (IS) fighters along the Tigris River last week.
On Friday, the spokesman for the US-led anti-IS coalition, which works with Iraqi security forces, tweeted pictures of Iraqi soldiers operating a motorboat as they conducted search operations targeting members of the group near the city of Samarra in central Iraq.
“Samarra operation command arrives to Samarra to search for Daesh members … great work,” wrote the coalition’s American spokesman, Col. Myles B. Caggins III, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
The coalition, officially known as Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, regularly praises Iraq’s armed forces on social media. Still, there is pressure from some in Iraq for US troops to withdraw from the country; the Iraqi parliament voted to expel US forces from Iraq in January after Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in Baghdad via a US airstrike. The US military continues to operate alongside Iraqi forces, but has turned over several bases to its Iraqi counterparts this year. Other European members of the coalition have left the country due to the coronavirus.
