Kurdish officer killed in clash with ISIS militants in Kirkuk operation

KIRKUK — A Kurdish security officer was killed during a clash with ISIS militants in Kirkuk on Wednesday night, the Kurdistan Region’s Security Agency confirmed in a statement on Friday. The encounter was part of a coordinated operation to apprehend ISIS members in the area.

The officer was identified as Mohammed Rashid Zhalayi, who served with the General Directorate of Operations for the Kurdistan Region’s Security Agency.

The operation, carried out by the General Directorate of Asayish Operations, Kurdish Commando Forces, and the Kirkuk Operations Command, was based on intelligence suggesting the presence of ISIS militants. With support from Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, air and ground strikes were launched to neutralize the militants.

“After receiving precise intelligence, Iraqi air forces bombarded the militants’ positions on the night of October 18,” the statement read. “Our forces then engaged in ground combat with ISIS militants. Sadly, one officer from the General Directorate of Asayish Operations was martyred, and two other Asayish personnel were wounded during the confrontation.”

Several ISIS fighters were killed in the clashes, according to the agency, which reiterated its commitment to combating terrorism in the Kurdistan Region. “The blood of our martyrs will not be in vain,” the agency vowed.

The statement also stressed the importance of ongoing coordination between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in efforts to protect the region from ISIS attacks.

In a similar operation on July 14, 2024, Kurdish security forces clashed with ISIS fighters in the Qarahanjir sub-district of Kirkuk, resulting in the death of a security officer and the injury of another. One ISIS fighter was killed, and another was captured, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Security Agency.

Although ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks. On October 15, 2024, Iraqi forces recovered the bodies of four ISIS fighters following an airstrike in the Laylan district of Kirkuk. Iraqi authorities have announced that more than 100 ISIS militants, including several senior leaders, have been killed in 2024 as part of ongoing counterterrorism operations.

A United Nations report released in July estimated that ISIS’s strength in Iraq and Syria had dwindled to between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters. Despite this, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in September that Iraqi security forces are capable of independently handling the ISIS threat and stated that coalition forces are “no longer required” in Iraq.