Iraq News
Security

Joint forces clear ISIS remnants from Tuz Khurmatu area

By Khalid al-Taie

Joint forces deploy in villages and areas surrounding the city of Tuz Khurmatu in eastern Salaheddine in this photo, posted online on February 7th. [Photo courtesy of the Rapid Response command]

Joint forces deploy in villages and areas surrounding the city of Tuz Khurmatu in eastern Salaheddine in this photo, posted online on February 7th. [Photo courtesy of the Rapid Response command]

Joint forces on Tuesday (February 13th) announced they have been able to lift the threat of terrorism from Tuz Khurmatu in eastern Salaheddine province.

On February 7th, security forces launched a large-scale campaign to comb the area surrounding the city for "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) remnants.

Security forces searched for ISIS bases and cells in the area around Tuz Khurmatu, said the Interior Ministry's Rapid Response Division media director Lt. Col. Abdul Amir al-Mohammedawi.

The area of the search extended towards al-Hawija in Kirkuk, Diyala province, and included a number of villages in Salaheddine, he told Diyaruna.

The Iraqi army’s 9th Armoured Division and local volunteers also took part in the campaign, he said, in co-ordination with Kurdish Peshmerga forces and with support from army and international coalition aircraft.

The mission has yielded "significant results", al-Mohammedawi said.

Joint forces cleared the area around five oil wells near Tuz Khurmatu and searched several villages, he said, notably Jabal Sheikh Maidan, Balkala al-Salim, Balkala al-Kubra, and Qalkhani al-Sughra.

They also managed to kill "a number of terrorists", he said.

"Dozens of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by terrorists on the roads the military units advanced through have been destroyed," he added, along with an ISIS camp, cars and about 30 of the group's hideouts.

Tuz Khurmatu 'under control'

Joint forces have Tuz Khurmatu and its surroundings under control, al-Mohammedawi stressed.

"We have been able to remove the terrorist threat and secure the entire area, and the security situation is now very stable," he said.

The security campaign was accompanied by efforts to bring back internally displaced persons (IDPs) in order to promote stability and consolidate peaceful co-existence between all social groups, al-Mohammedawi said.

"We have brought back 4,000 IDPs from various sects and ethnicities to their homes, and they have begun to live their daily lives naturally and safely," he said.

As part of the efforts to consolidate security, "our forces are deployed everywhere and are now responsible for maintaining security there", he added.

The Tuz Khurmatu police station and other stations in nearby areas -- Suleiman Bek, Amirli, Yakanja -- have been re-opened, he said.

"These stations will work in co-operation with the local people to combat any dangers threatening their life and to ensure that the rule of law and order is imposed," he said.

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