Iraq reels from another Daesh surprise attack

Daesh has launched yet another surprise attack in Iraq’s restive western Anbar province, leading to the deaths of at least 22 Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) personnel and allied Sunni tribal militia fighters. The assault comes as the operation to recapture Mosul nears its fifth week.

Daesh’s media wing in Anbar announced that they launched an attack late last night against the district of Kubaysah, located in Anbar’s western reaches, whilst also attacking other ISF and federal police units, claiming 14 other kills.

According to security sources, the attack was carried about by “tens” of Daesh fighters in an assault that lasted until dawn, with Daesh also making use of suicide car bombers, known as VBIEDs.

Iraqi forces responded by deploying attack helicopters to support units on the ground, and claimed to have killed 30 militants. However, Daesh denied the ISF’s claims, and said that they raided Kubaysah and achieved their objectives before withdrawing without sustaining casualties.

Al Jazeera cited a pro-government Sunni tribal commander, Hammad Al-Karbouli, as saying that Daesh made use of mortars to shell the centre of Kubaysah before withdrawing into the desert after an undisclosed number of their fighters were killed.

This is the fourth time since the Mosul operation began that Iraqi government forces have been caught by surprise many kilometres away from the fighting in Ninawa province, of which Mosul is the capital.

Early in the operations, Daesh fighters appeared in the oil-rich, Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and wreaked havoc for days there, killing dozens of Kurdish security forces. The extremist organisation then repeated similar attacks in Rutba in Anbar, and another in Shirqat early this month.

In those towns and cities, Daesh admitted to fighting to death, and warned of future attacks. However, their withdrawal from Kubaysah suggests that Daesh may be adopting a different raiding strategy as it attacks districts and provinces previously declared “secured” by Iraqi authorities.