Iraqi Armed Factions Eye Controlling Strategic Town North of Baghdad

Militants from the Popular Mobilization Forces (INA)
Militants from the Popular Mobilization Forces (INA)
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Iraqi Armed Factions Eye Controlling Strategic Town North of Baghdad

Militants from the Popular Mobilization Forces (INA)
Militants from the Popular Mobilization Forces (INA)

A suicide attack at a crowded market in Baghdad’s Sadr City on Monday revived armed factions’ ambitions to restore their control over al-Tarmiyah town and its suburbs north of the Iraqi capital.

Sayyid of Martyrs Battalions Secretary-General Abu Ala al-Walai said that his forces were prepared to retake al-Tarmiyah and al-Mushahadah regions from the “claws of terrorism” within two days.

Leaders of armed factions in Iraq have repeatedly called for duplicating the reconquest of “Jurf Sakhar” in other parts of the Baghdad belt, starting with al-Tarmiyah.

Al-Tarmiyah enjoys a strategic location, as it extends on the Tigris River to connect four major cities, namely Baghdad, Salah al-Din, Diyala, and Anbar. More so, the town links two prominent Shiite shrines.

The market bombing sparked a wave of media reports about a “terrorist” group having emerged from one of al-Tarmiyah’s agricultural fields to stage the attack.

This type of reporting prompted activists close to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to demand the state-sponsored umbrella organization drives ISIS fighters and supporters out of the city.

“Acts of violence within the area come from various sources, including ISIS, which exploits the security void in orchards in the vicinity of the town,” field sources reported.

Copying the reconquest of Jurf Sakhr in al-Tarmiyah means that locals will be uprooted, and extreme security vetting will be facing individuals entering and leaving the town.

Jurf Sakhr is now under the total control of some of the most influential PMF armed factions.

Like Jurf Sakhr, al-Tarmiyah will also become a hub for military camps and bases operated by armed factions.

“Enforcing security and imposing stability in any region, including al-Tarmiyah, must be subject to the contexts of the state, exclusively,” a Victory Alliance consultant who requested anonymity told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Armed factions have displayed an inclination towards going above and beyond fighting ISIS to securing total control over areas liberated from the terrorist group.

Local sources warn that the factions will not give up their plan to seize al-Tarmiyah, given its strategic location.



Israel’s Spy Chief Gives Details about Exploding Pager Operation against Hezbollah

A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (AFP/Getty Images)
A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Israel’s Spy Chief Gives Details about Exploding Pager Operation against Hezbollah

A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (AFP/Getty Images)
A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (AFP/Getty Images)

The head of Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency on Tuesday called the exploding pagers and walkie talkies operation against Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria a “turning point of the war,” which gave Israel momentum to deal a heavy blow to Hezbollah.

The devices used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in two waves on Sept. 17 and 18. The attack killed at least 12 people — including two young children — and wounded thousands more.

Mossad chief David Barnea spoke while accepting an award for the operation from a Tel Aviv think tank, the Institute for National Security Studies.

Barnea said the first 500 pagers outfitted with explosives arrived in Lebanon just a few weeks before the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, but that officials involved in the operation decided to wait to detonate them until more pagers had arrived and were in use.

He said the operation involving the walkie talkies with explosives started more than a decade ago, while the pager operation began in 2022.