Iraqi Army Launches 4th Phase of Iraqi Heroes Operation

Members of the Iraqi Army (File photo: Reuters)
Members of the Iraqi Army (File photo: Reuters)
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Iraqi Army Launches 4th Phase of Iraqi Heroes Operation

Members of the Iraqi Army (File photo: Reuters)
Members of the Iraqi Army (File photo: Reuters)

The Iraqi forces launched Saturday the fourth phase of its battle against the terrorist organizations, in Diyala governorate on the border with Iran

Deputy chief of staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari announced the launch of the fourth phase of the “Iraqi Heroes” military operation targeting ISIS remnants and establishing security and stability in Diyala.

He also indicated that the forces will be combing the border area with Iran and launching operations in areas between the federal forces and Peshmerga forces which terrorists use to launch their attacks.

Shammari added that the operation was launched under the guidance of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command.

He explained that the operation covers more than 17,000 square kilometers, with the participation of the Land Forces Command, the Federal Police Command, Rapid Response Forces, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), as well as Diyala, Samarra, and Saladin Operations Commands.

Shammari said that the new military operation has important and specific goals, without specifying the nature of these tasks.

On Saturday, the Security Media Cell announced the launch of the military operation in Diyala explaining that Iraqi Special Forces and other forces raided specific targets within the province, based on accurate intelligence information.

This coincides with the government’s operation aimed to control border crossings with Iran, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister.

The Media Cell indicated that the joint security forces’ operations destroyed an ISIS headquarters, and six hideouts on its first day. They also destroyed six motorcycles used for launching terrorist attacks, and detonated four explosive devices.

Diyala MP, and member of the Security and Defense parliamentary committee, Abdul Khaleq al-Azzawi confirmed that there is a large security vacuum between Diyala and Saladin.

Azzawi added that ISIS usually takes advantage of this vacuum to infiltrate in and out of Diyala, allowing it to launch its terrorist attacks, which has greatly affected the security conditions of the province.

However, former Saladin MP Muzahim al-Jabouri said that terrorist organizations exploit the disagreements in disputed areas to carry out more terrorist operations.

Jabouri told Asharq al-Awsat that there is a link between sectarian or ethnic clashes in the disputed areas, and ISIS attempts to expand its operations.

The time has come for the state to extend its control over all regions of the districts, regardless of the ethnic or sectarian backgrounds, stressed Jabouri.



Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city.
No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said.
The RSF has not commented on the incident, Reuters said.
The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months but the strikes had not inflicted heavy casualties.
The drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment.
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
Port Sudan, home to the country's primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation.
In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in west Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.