IED event in Kirkuk, Kirkuk area, Iraq on Sun 11th December 2022

SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi armed forces discovered massive pieces of unexploded improvised explosive devices (IED) in Kirkuk provinces. A joint force, comprising units of the Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) discovered as many as 24 unexploded IEDs, said a statement. The bombs were found inside a hideout of the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group remnants in a remote area of Kirkuk province, it said. However, so forces were able to destroy the bombs safely, according to the statement. It did not specify the location. ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but some of its members still roam and continue to destabilize the country’s security. The group’s remnants are particularly active in the so-known disputed areas between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments, stretching across several provinces including Kirkuk, Salahaddin, and Diyala. The remnants built a large number of hide-outs and dens in the disputed areas. They exploited the space to regroup and pursue their harmful goals inside the area which suffers from a security vacuum.