Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi speaks at a press conference, at the Iraq Energy Forum in Baghdad. Karim Kadim / AP
Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi speaks at a press conference, at the Iraq Energy Forum in Baghdad. Karim Kadim / AP
Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi speaks at a press conference, at the Iraq Energy Forum in Baghdad. Karim Kadim / AP
Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi speaks at a press conference, at the Iraq Energy Forum in Baghdad. Karim Kadim / AP

Iraq still fighting ISIL, Abadi admits


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi admitted on Wednesday that the country is engaged in a fight against ISIL sleeper cells, a climbdown from repeated claims of the insurgents being defeated.

Mr Abadi declared victory over the terror group in December after security forces drove them out of the last pockets of territory under their control. But recent months have seen ISIL remnants carry out attacks in the north, killing dozens of civilians in an offensive that could disrupt elections in May.

Iraqi and American security officials have repeatedly warned that territory in the north could easily fall back into insurgent hands.

Mr Abadi's comments, after the recent uptick in unrest, exposed the risk he took when he said ISIL had effectively been disabled, analysts said. 
Speaking at an energy forum in Baghdad where he was seeking to drum up foreign investment, Mr Abadi backtracked on past statements, saying that although "we have defeated ISIL militarily, we have to eliminate the militants' sleeper cells that are active today."

He added: "The government is committed to uprooting terror cells and is seeking to rebuild the country's infrastructure."

_______________

Iraq year in review: the country may be free of ISIL but lies in ruins 

Iraq holding 19,000 on ISIL and terrorism allegations

Families of ISIL terrorism victims in Iraq still need closure

ISIL might have been driven out of Iraq but it is only a matter of time before they reform

______________

During the past few months, security officials have said that between 150 to 200 armed forces members have been killed nationwide.

Last week ISIL claimed responsibility for six attacks at fake checkpoints, including one that destroyed a number of oil tankers. Other attacks have included strikes on oil installations and convoys, with the group claiming to have captured weapons and vehicles.

Mr Al Abadi pledged to send more forces to the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk to continue "clearing operations".

"Iraq's new dawn will witness a historic transformation of our nation," he said.

Fanar Haddad, senior research fellow at the University of Singapore said that although ISIL has been "seriously diminished by developments in the region" its threat remains.

"The problem is that 'triumph' over an organisation like ISIL was never going to be a singular event and was always going to be a process. I do not think Abadi jumped the gun in his announcement but I do think he has to carefully manage expectations," Mr Haddad told The National.

Since Mr Al Abadi's declaration of victory, officials have begun a series of court cases for people accused of connections to ISIL or suspected of other terror-related offences.

The central criminal court has issued number of sentences against ISIL wives, ranging from long prison terms to death by hanging.

Last month, a court in Baghdad also sentenced a Turkish woman to death, while 10 other foreign ISIL wives received life in prison for terrorism offences. A German woman has been sentenced to death for providing logistical support to the insurgents.

US Air Force Brig. Gen Andrew Croft said on Tuesday that the militants' holdout across Iraq demands attention.

"There are still remnants of ISIL in the Kirkuk to Makhmour area. That's where we've done the last few operations with Iraqi security forces," he said at a Pentagon press briefing.

Another area of concern for an ISIL resurgence is in the Anbar region, west of Baghdad, long a bastion of Sunni militancy.

"As far as the numbers we find in the Anbar desert, they are [small]," Gen Croft said. "They're not coming from Syria that we're seeing, although that would be a concern in the future and we're fully aware of that possibility. But the numbers that are out there, it is small numbers, and we think they are just existing or trying to survive out there in the desert."

Iraqi security forces announced on Wednesday the capture of an ISIL commander in an operation in Anbar.

Since the end of major anti-ISIL operations in Iraq, the US-led coalition has moved air assets to Syria and Afghanistan, but it is continuing to support Iraqi operations.

A Pentagon report released in November said there were approximately nine thousand US troops in Iraq as of late September.

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Three stars

While you're here
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

And%20Just%20Like%20That...
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sarah%20Jessica%20Parker%2C%20Cynthia%20Nixon%2C%20Kristin%20Davis%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A