How IS is trying to thwart progress in Mosul operation
Islamic State militants are trying to find security breaches in various areas to distract the Iraqi forces from the operation to liberate Mosul and thus slow down their advance.
BAGHDAD — After the attack by the Islamic State (IS) on Kirkuk on Oct. 21, the arms market in the city experienced a boom in reaction to the possibility of further attacks. An arms dealer told Al-Monitor, “A weapon that used to sell for 400,000 Iraqi dinars [$338] now sells for 550,000 dinars.”
The Oct. 21 attack was not the only breach that happened since the start of the Mosul operation. On Oct. 23, Rutba in the western part of Anbar province saw a similar breach that led to the fall of almost half the city. Rutba’s situation is very similar to that of Kirkuk because large areas at their edges are under IS control, especially the area between Rutbah and Qaim. A similar attack on Rutba occurred Nov. 7.
On Oct. 4, Sharqat witnessed a violent security breach that led to the fall of most of the city, caused largely because the plain next to Sharqat was left under IS control.
Kirkuk has seen similar breaches before. On Jan. 30, 2015, IS launched a major attack on Kirkuk from three fronts. This breach also started from Hawijah toward Tal al-Ward, Maktab Khaled and Tazeh. The clashes continued for more than a day before the peshmerga forces were able to control the situation.
