Since the beginning of February, Iraqi police have been combing the desert areas of Diyala to root out "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) elements and prevent them from establishing safe havens in the province.

The operation is focused on vast desert areas in the province's north and east, Diyala police media officer Col. Ghaleb al-Attiyah told Diyaruna.

Targeted areas include Imam Weis, Hamreen and Naft Khana, he said, in addition to farming villages such as al-Sada, Abdul Hamid and Budja in al-Abara district and the villages of Bani Zayd, Umm al-Qutn and al-Ghazali in Bahraz district, south of Baquba.

The objective is to hunt down ISIL fighters who may be hiding in these areas and prevent them from establishing any presence or hiding places, he said.

The group seeks to exploit "desert areas, rugged valleys and dense orchards in order to hide from the security forces and local residents, reorganise its ranks and capabilities, and prepare to launch terrorist operations", al-Attiyah said.

So far, Iraqi police have destroyed four ISIL "safe houses", he said.

These are small, camouflaged hideouts stocked with explosives, weapons and other supplies that enable ISIL elements to live there temporarily, before launching armed or suicide attacks, he explained.

There were no gunmen in the hideouts at the time of the police raids, he said, but "large quantities of TNT and high impact C-4 explosives were found inside sacks, and in one of the safe houses we discovered eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and two motorcycles", along with food supplies and clothing.

"We eliminated these hideouts and destroyed all of their contents," he said.

No place to hide

The Diyala sweep also netted more than a dozen individuals who were wanted on criminal or terrorism-related charges under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Iraqi penal code, al-Attiyah said.

"We arrested 16 wanted men who had been involved in terrorist bombings and killings and in abductions and had outstanding arrest warrants against them," he said.

"The provincial police, the Tigris Operations Command and the army have made great strides in recent months," Ninawa provincial council security committee head Sadiq al-Husseini told Diyaruna.

In previous campaigns, he said, security forces have managed to destroy dozens of safe houses and weapons and equipment hiding places, in addition to arresting many involved in terrorist crimes and freeing kidnapped people.

The current operation supports preventive security efforts aimed at "hunting down terrorist remnants and not leaving them an opportunity to recuperate and reorganise", he said.

Dispelling fears

The Diyala operation comes in response to "legitimate concerns" among some members of the provincial council and other officials that ISIL elements could infiltrate into areas in northern and eastern Diyala, al-Husseini said.

These are "open areas with a complex geographical nature", he said, adding that "continuing security campaigns could dispel those fears".

"Hopefully, al-Hawija and other areas in south-western Kirkuk province still under ISIL’s control will soon be recovered, so that any terrorist threat on our province fades completely," he said.

The security operation is important in "eradicating the terrorists’ presence in Diyala and firmly resisting their threats", said Iraqi MP Iskandar Witwit, who serves on the parliamentary security and defence committee.

"This operation is necessary in order to curb any attempt by ISIL militants to infiltrate the province via Kirkuk and Salaheddine and threaten its security and that of the capital and neighbouring provinces," he told Diyaruna.

"These areas are a major source of threat," he added, noting that ongoing search operations to root out pockets of ISIL fighters are necessary to prevent infiltration attempts by the group.

Witwit urged the Iraqi government to set up two additional military divisions to enhance the security of Diyala and other liberated provinces.

This move would serve to consolidate stability in Iraq, he said.