TOPIC: Islamic State Still Bring Death in Northern Iraq

In Diyala province, Northern Iraq, five soldiers of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been killed in an attack by ISIS. This attack, according to a Peshmerga source (who spoke to Al-Jazeera under the condition of anonymity), also wounded four others. The attack was conducted by small arms and sniper fire, indicating the brazen confidence that remains within remaining ISIS forces.

Bowed but Unbroken.

Despite it being four years since the fall of the self-declared Caliphates capital, ISIS still posses a significant threat to Iraqi stability. The five killed were soldiers in a convoy who were coming to rescue those wounded by the small arms and sniper fire. Their convoy hit a roadside bomb, as more small arms fire poured in. The guerrilla tactics of ISIS are common place, often ambushing those coming to rescue injured fighters. A Peshmerga spokesman in the aftermath called for greater international support against the group, with a renewed emphasis on co-operation with Kurdish forces, who played a key role in ISIS's original defeat. 

ISIS in Iraq

ISIS, ISIL or IS, formerly held large swathes of Iraqi territory, going as far as to threaten Baghdad itself. On June 29, 2015, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announced the formation of an Islamic caliphate, reaching from Diyala in Iraq to Aleppo in Syria. It was at this stage the group was renamed Islamic State. Already, multiple state actors, (including the United States, France and Turkey) were waging aerial campaigns against the terror organisation, but the intensity and frequency increased greatly following the announcement. By the end of 2015, Iraqi forces (including the Peshmerga) had made key progress recapturing territory, including the key city of Ramadi. In Syria, ISIS remained firm, but in Iraq, its grip was beginning to loosen. 

By the end of 2017, ISIS had lost 95% of its territory, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. The Iraqi PM declared victory over ISIS on December 9, 2017. This declaration was followed up nearly a year later, with Donald Trump declaring that ISIS was defeated, along with an announcement of a withdrawal of US forces. The last holdout of the caliphate fell in February 2019, with Baghdadi killed on October 26, 2019. This ended the hopes of IS existing as a physical state in the Middle East, but the ideology that acted as the backbone to ISIS remained and continues to exert pressure in Iraq. This was illustrated by the most recent attack in Diyala, but also by continued attacks across Northern Iraq. Last month, two other Peshmerga fighters were killed in an ISIS orchestrated attack in Kirkuk, whilst nearly a dozen civilians were killed in an attack in Diyala. The former threat of an ISIS caliphate materialising  may have dissipated, but the continued threat of the extremist ideology that fuelled ISIS remains real. 

(Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world/kurdistan-independence-referendum/support-peshmerga-soldiers-for-safer-middle-east/)