The repercussions of military confrontations between Iraqi security forces and elements of ISIS remain casting its shadow on the future and the presence of the organization inside the provinces and cities where leaders of Daesh have managed to tighten its control over them in the past three years, and the process of the presence of these elements and the possibility of combating and reducing the rehabilitation of its base and work again of new trends and frameworks and other principles remain a security concern that worry the military security and intelligence and a major factor in uniting the international and regional efforts towards the preparation and selection of strategic field plans to protect Iraq and neighboring countries and the rest of the countries of the region, against the root and survival of the cells of the organization , working actively and effectively and to activate the serious security and intelligence work to achieve the goal that everyone seeks in achieving world peace and security throughout Iraq and the Middle East, an extension of European capitals which are witnessing occasional terrorist operations inside its capitals and cities that raise fear and panic among its citizens alarming of the persistent presence of elements of ISIS and renewal in the methods used to carry out acts of terrorism that worry the security situation in Europe .
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies pursued security events that took place in some regions, districts and provinces in Iraq, and despite the multiplicity of these operations, but they were similar in style, preparation and arrangement carried out by elements of ISIS and areas that have been selected as follows:
1. On 13th of September 2017 the terrorist group dressed in military uniform attacked a popular restaurant located on the highway west of Dhi Qar province in the region (Fadak) , a route taken usually by Iranian visitors using medium and light weapons and explosive belts and it was preceded by an operation of the explosion of a car bomb at a checkpoint , The incident led to the death of 74 civilians and wounding 93 others , including Iranians, after the terrorists were able to pass many of the areas from which they came and one of them is through the desert route of a neighboring province.
The leaders of Daesh claimed responsibility for the terrorist incident through media channels (Amaq).
2. On 15th of September 2017, forces of thirteenth brigade of the Iraqi Joint troops were attacked by a terrorist gunmen belonging to ISIS on one of the sites of mentioned brigade in the area (Abu Racine) of Kairouan district west of the province of Nineveh.
3. On 15th of September 2017 , the international coalition forces announced a foil of plot of the organization ISIS aims to attack Habbaniyah military base, which lies 80 km from the city of Baghdad and the terrorist targets were addressed and the attempt was foiled in which the organization seeks using mortars and rockets and then attack the base from one of agricultural areas located in the area (Tash), about 110 km west of Baghdad, and drones managed to foil this scheme after the US artillery shelled the sites of presence of terrorists before starting the implementation of their operation.
4. On 16th of September, a war media cell issued a statement confirmed that military intelligence was able to monitor one of the camps of the elements of Daesh in desert area west of al-Rutba, where the number of elements of the organization exist and treated with an air strike before carrying out a terrorist operation in the province of Karbala province.
5. On 16th of September , 2017 , sites for the popular crowd forces in the southwest of Salah al-din province were targeted , which is a site of a building of a school , by a car bomb and the incident led to the killing and wounding those who were in the building and burning its contents.
If we take a closer accurate look at all these events and operations and read them on the ground clearly, we will reach to the following results:
1. Selection of different places and in various parts of Iraq, and all trends and affiliations Here, a terrorist attack in Nasiriyah and other similarities in Tikrit and then targeting security forces in the western province of Nineveh, that means the terrorism affects all parts of Iraq from the north to the south.
2. One timing, one directions and one desired goal that these malicious hands and tools want to reach , we note that the period of time between the incident and another does not take a day and even hours, and this shows the accurate field preparation of these operations and methods used in the implementation.
3. The targeting military headquarters or popular gathering or a unit of the popular crowd, this is a priority of the goals of the organization and this choice goes beyond to include an important base where American officers and soldiers and advisers exist specifically in Habbaniyah , it is a clear message and indication for the leadership of the International Alliance targeting its tools, plans and sites in response to the targeting of sites and headquarters of leaders of Daesh.
4. New in these incidents is targeting an important southern province which is located in a strategic area bordering several sprawling provinces and choose a popular place where a number of visitors are gathering , including Iranian visitors and targeting them by double-terrorist operation constitutes a clear security breakthrough and it is an indication of the failure of all security plans that the security services claim to be working to prepare and develop, but how do we explain the coming of the elements of the organization ISIS to the paths of the international road(highway) of the province of Dhi Qar, targeting a large number of citizens and kill them and blow up a security barrier without any response or reaction to stop this terrorist act?
5. The terrorists wanted to deliver a limited message but with eloquent meanings that they can only be present in any place to identify the goals they seek and determine the time and tools in the implementation and it is a message of reassurance also to their sleeper cells and their elements.
The follower of the trends of this organization knows very well that the intellectual doctrine that their followers and supporters believe in that they do not end with a large military operations, but fade away and turn away a little bit and go where there are valleys, deserts, prairies and the desert island using remote places and headquarters hidden from the intelligence and field monitoring and working to prepare and rehabilitate themselves again and arrange their Interior positions with new methods and foundations in accordance with the security plans that some of the group ‘s leaders draw its features relying on sleeper cells and its support for them.
It is required the preparation of the security approach worthy of attention and follow – up and highly effective security plans and preparation of an accurate intelligence monitoring operations and thoroughly pursuit in a scientific way equivalent of the importance of the organization and its field plans to move away from the random selection in the fight against this terrorist organization.
The Iraqi Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies