Iraqi forces have imposed a security cordon around Salaheddine province's al-Ishaqi district after a spate of recent attacks by the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

ISIS elements on Wednesday (August 26th) attacked a local police post in the village of al-Adhiya with medium and light weapons, wounding one security officer and one civilian, al-Ishaqi district director Jassim Mohammed al-Bazei told Diyaruna.

Security reinforcements arrived in the district, imposing a cordon around it to prevent the attackers from escaping and combing its orchards, he said.

The frequency of attacks on al-Ishaqi have seen an increase in recent period, he said, prompting the local authorities to call for a massive security campaign.

"Several security operations have been conducted, which resulted in the destruction of ISIS hideouts and rest-houses, but the danger still persists as evidenced by yesterday's attack," al-Bazei said.

Al-Ishaqi, known for its abundance of trees, bushes and river islands, is a prime destination for extremists as it provides natural hideouts that are difficult to reach with heavy military machinery, he said.

It is an administrative district that is part of Balad district, and one of the farming towns and villages overlooking the provinces of Diyala and Anbar, as well as the northern parts of Baghdad.

Al-Ishaqi's strategic location provides passage to extremists fleeing the pressure of security operations and reconnaissance campaigns in Iraq's western desert, said al-Bazei.

Significant security challenges

The villages with the biggest security challenges in the district are al-Adhiya and al-Farhatiya, he said. "They were liberated from ISIS five years ago, but remain a major security concern for the district and surrounding areas."

Since they were liberated, the two villages have served as a launchpad for militants who exploited the area's agricultural topography and population density -- al-Adhiya alone has around 7,000 residents.

Though the two villages were subject to several security operations, "they were not thoroughly combed and the entire territory, dense with vegetation, was not fully searched", al-Bazei said.

As a result, terrorist operations continued, causing the death of a total of 43 civilians from the two villages since 2015, he said.

"We hope the measures that are being taken will be followed by major security campaigns that will eliminate all ISIS remnants and their sleeper cells in our [district]," said al-Bazei.