ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack targeting Iraqi federal police forces southwest of Kirkuk that killed one police officer and injured others.
The attack took place near the town of Hawija, about 70 kilometers southwest of Kirkuk, where ISIS militants reportedly used semi-automatic rifles and sniper fire to target a federal police unit.
According to the available information, the attack was the first assault attributed to ISIS militants against Iraqi security forces since US forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, ending their military mission in the country.
The United States had led an international coalition supporting Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS, including efforts to prevent the group from reorganizing and rebuilding its operational capabilities.
Washington has said it will continue to provide limited training and intelligence support to Iraqi forces following the withdrawal, while responsibility for securing the country and pursuing ISIS remnants now rests fully with Iraqi security forces.
Despite the group’s declared defeat and the end of its self-proclaimed “caliphate” nearly a decade ago, ISIS continues to maintain sleeper cells in Iraq capable of carrying out sporadic attacks against security forces.
The US withdrawal has raised concerns that ISIS could exploit any security vacuum to rebuild its capabilities, amid warnings that Iraqi forces will face the next phase largely on their own as they confront the group’s remaining fighters.
