ISIS Strikes ‘Baghdad Belt’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wears a military uniform of Popular Mobilization Forces during his visit to the PMF HQ in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wears a military uniform of Popular Mobilization Forces during his visit to the PMF HQ in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters
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ISIS Strikes ‘Baghdad Belt’

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wears a military uniform of Popular Mobilization Forces during his visit to the PMF HQ in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wears a military uniform of Popular Mobilization Forces during his visit to the PMF HQ in Baghdad, Iraq May 16, 2020. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters

ISIS has continued to launch nighttime attacks in western and northern Iraq, reaching the Tarmiyah region which belongs to what is called the Baghdad belt.

The terror group branded the attacks as “Ramadan invasions,” named after Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.

In a rare show of force, the first of its kind in months, ISIS militants infiltrated a Tarmiyah village, located north of Baghdad, and kidnapped and slayed one of the security personnel positioned there.

This coincided with a series of operations launched by ISIS on Saturday in the Diyala and Salahuddin governorates and Samarra city. Published footage showed ISIS slaying four members of the same family in Samarra.

On Friday night, ISIS targeted a security checkpoint in northeastern Baghdad, causing casualties, according to security sources. Details about the casualties were not released.

Meanwhile in northern Diyala, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said a terrorist attack caused one death and 10 injuries.

The Iraqi army and the local Diyala Police, in eastern Iraq, launched a military operation south of Buhriz district to pursue ISIS operatives.

“The Diyala Operations Command, represented by the Iraqi Army's Fifth Infantry Division and the Diyala police, will conduct search operations in the southern Buhriz regions, implement arrest warrants for the wanted, and prosecute the remnants of the (ISIS) terrorist cells, as well as enhance security and stability there,” a security statement said.

Member of the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee MP Bader al-Ziyadi confirmed that, in the next few days, an expansive security operation to counter ISIS will be launched.

“There are steps that will be taken to eradicate these (ISIS) outposts and their sleeping cells from our regions,” Ziyadi asserted.

"Planned operations in the areas where terrorist groups emerged are awaiting the announcement of the zero hour for their launch, after all procedures for them have been completed,” Ziyadi noted, adding that army air power will participate in crushing the terrorist organization.

The MP also warned that those involved in harboring ISIS militants will be held accountable.



US Says Shares Israel’s Concerns about Syria

 Debris is scattered at the site of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near Hama, Syria, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP)
Debris is scattered at the site of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near Hama, Syria, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP)
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US Says Shares Israel’s Concerns about Syria

 Debris is scattered at the site of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near Hama, Syria, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP)
Debris is scattered at the site of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near Hama, Syria, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP)

US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said on Thursday that Washington shares Israel’s concerns about the situation in Syria.

During a briefing to the UN Security Council on Syria, she stressed that the US and Israel are worried about “Syria becoming a base for terrorism, and both our countries have been clear that we oppose malign actors using Syria as a platform to foment instability.”

“As Council members, we should all agree that a stable and sovereign Syria is critical for our collective security. President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this week, and they had a constructive discussion on the importance of regional peace, security, and stability,” she noted.

“We know that ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to plot and conduct attacks within Syria. And we know Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terrorists are trying to regain a foothold in Syria to threaten Israel and other regional states.”

“In this context, Israel has an inherent right of self-defense, including against terrorist groups operating close to its border,” she stressed.

“We welcome the Syrian Permanent Representative’s March 3 letter to the Council stating that Syria will not be a haven for terrorism, nor will it be a part of any axes or polarization or become involved in any conflicts or wars that threaten the security and stability of the region. This is a positive message of intent by the interim authorities,” she added.

“We will judge the Syrian interim authorities not by their words but by their actions. The United States continues to support efforts that will bring lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and we hope to see a restoration of calm so Syrians can live in peace with their neighbors,” Shea said.

She also welcomed recent statements by both Israel and Türkiye that they do not seek conflict with one another in Syria.

At the same briefing, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East and Asia Pacific Khaled Khiari condemned Israel’s violations of the Disengagement of Forces Agreement with Syria, warning that they “threaten Syria’s fragile political transition”.

He said: “The council’s commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity grows in importance by the day.”

“Syria’s opportunity to stabilize after 14 years of conflict must be supported and protected, for Syrians and for Israelis. This is the only way regional peace and security can be realized,” he urged.

“Since the fall of the former Assad government on December 8, 2024, this Security Council has been regularly briefed on Israeli violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria. The Secretary-General has been clear in his condemnation of all actions that are inconsistent with the Agreement,” he remarked.

“There have been hundreds of reported Israeli airstrikes across Syria since December 8 of last year, in the southwest, the Syrian coast, northeastern Syria, Damascus, Hama, and Homs. The Israeli army has publicly confirmed it has built multiple positions in the area of separation on the Golan,” he added.

“Israeli officials have also spoken about Israel’s intentions to stay in Syria ‘for the foreseeable future’. Such facts on the ground are not easily reversed. They do threaten Syria’s fragile political transition, Khiari warned.

“Syria is at a crossroads and deserves a chance to continue to work towards an inclusive political transition, where the Syrian people can overcome the conflict, revive their economy, realize their legitimate aspirations, and contribute to regional stability,” he stressed.

“Furthermore, short-term and tactical security actions and gains should not derail prospects for peace agreement between the two neighbors and long-term stability at their internationally recognized border,” he said.