17 dead in double ISIS attack

It is the second attack by the jihadist group in 24 hours. To the nine police officers killed yesterday in the northern city, there are eight victims today in the west of the country. Local tribes tried to repel the jihadist assault with their bare hands. The presence of small cells and lone wolves that attack by surprise, taking advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.

Baghdad () – The Islamic State (IS, former ISIS) hits Iraq again and does so with a violence and intensity not seen for a long time. The jihadist group’s activity was in sharp decline, but the trend reversed with a series of attacks that occurred in the last 48 hours. This morning, an attack left eight people dead in the province of Anbar, with a Sunni majority, in the west of the country. The victims join the nine police officers killed yesterday in Kirkuk, in an explosion -also claimed by the men of the Islamic caliphate.

More than eight years have passed since the rise of the Islamic State in the summer of 2014. At the height of its expansion, the former ISIS came to conquer large portions of the territory of Syria and Iraq. Despite the time that has elapsed, the wounds of the violence and brutality of the jihadist group remain open. Today, the militants control a small area straddling the two countries -although increasingly restricted by the advance of the regular Syrian and Iraqi armies. However, the ideology lives on and continues to rage through lone wolves or even independent cells, and military defeat does not dispel the threat.

In the Anbar attack, residents of a village northwest of Fallujah tried to confront a group of ISIS fighters who had arrived on motorcycles, but were quickly overwhelmed. Uday al-Jadran, an official in the city of Al-Jalis, where the assault took place, spoke of “dozens” of locals who faced the jihadists, even with their bare hands, defenseless. In response, the authorities launched a mega operation to try to capture the terrorists.

The attacks in Anbar, local sources say, focus on people whom ISIS accuses of “helping” the government in various ways. Many of the (Sunni) tribes living in the area are armed and are waging a military campaign in conjunction with the security forces to try to eradicate the Islamic State cells operating in the territory. Analysts and experts confirm the presence of small groups or individuals that move through the desert and steep routes. These subjects attack suddenly, with operations marked by “opportunism.”

Another factor adding to the tension is the presence of Iranian-backed militias, although the greatest hostility of the local population continues to be towards ISIS. Last week three Iraqi soldiers died from a bomb explosion – there are still no official claims for the attack, but suspicions converge on the men of the caliphate. The attack occurred during a security forces operation in the Tarmiyah district north of Baghdad.

A few days ago, the Chaldean Church proposed a three-day fast and a prayer for peace on christmas eve. A highly timely appeal, given the growing climate of tension and the escalation of attacks. The situation in Iraq and in the world – stressed the Baghdad auxiliary, Monsignor Basilio Yaldo – is critical, we need stability with the new government.