Iraqi representative warns government of IS resurgence in Nineveh

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi parliamentarian has warned the government of rising activity by Daesh (Islamic State) militants in the west of Nineveh province, north of the country, raising alert of a possible resurgence of the extremist group.

Nineveh MP Ahmed Madloul al-Jarba, in a letter to Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi, published by Alsumaria News, said “the situation in western Nineveh has become unfavorable, with Daesh kidnapping people and targeting villages in al-Baaj region, which forced locals to migrate”, pointing to “an intense activity by the group over the past days, which he attributed to “the absence of military troops in the region”.

Addressing the prime minister, al-Jarba said “if your excellency does not  directed for sending troops to the aforementioned regions, a scenario similar to that of 2014 is likely”.

Daesh ran over large areas of Iraq in 2014, proclaiming an “Islamic Caliphate” there and several regions in neighboring Syria. Iraqi forces concluded a military operation in late 2017 that saw the government taking back control over those regions.

But the group still imposes a security threat, with occasional attacks still targeting civilians and government forces.

Nineveh contains Mosul, the Islamic State self-proclaimed capital that was recaptured in July 2017.