Nighttime curfew imposed in Hawija after attacks — Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraq’s Federal Police have imposed a nighttime curfew in the Hawija district and nearby villages in Kirkuk province following a series of attacks on security personnel. The restrictions will be in effect from 18:00 to 06:00, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
Movement during these hours is prohibited, while enhanced controls have been introduced for motorcycles, cars and cargo motorcycles. The use of cargo motorcycles is permitted only in emergencies and with official authorization. Law enforcement officers have also strengthened security near farms and villages close to Federal Police positions and restricted the movement of farmers whose land is located nearby.
Attacks near Kirkuk
According to security sources, armed attackers late Tuesday evening targeted the second battalion of the 61st Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the village of Al-Bargaliya—Al-Dandish in the Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk. A sniper disabled a thermal imaging camera at a military position, after which security forces launched a search operation in the village and its surroundings.
A day earlier, the ninth brigade of the Federal Police was attacked in the same village. One person was killed and four others were injured in the attack. According to the Federal Police Command, the deceased was officer Bakr Majid Mohammed, who confronted ISIS militants attempting to storm his post. Several thermal imaging cameras were also damaged during the attack.
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Statements on the threat posed by ISIS cells
Ahmed Ramzi Koprulu, head of the Security and Defense Committee of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, said that the attack in Hawija demonstrated the threat posed by ISIS sleeper cells. He called for stronger intelligence gathering, security operations and information-sharing among security agencies to prevent militants from regrouping in remote areas.
On Monday, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack southwest of the city of Kirkuk that killed an Iraqi police officer and injured others. It was the group’s first claimed attack on Iraqi security forces after the withdrawal of US troops and the end of their military mission in the country on September 30.
At the same time, experts interviewed by the publication do not believe that ISIS is capable of repeating its 2014 offensive or seizing territory. Security analyst Sarmad al-Bayati described the events in Hawija as limited attacks by sleeper cells, while expert Mukhlid Hazem said that the group’s capabilities are now mainly limited to actions by small armed groups in various areas.
