SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Authorities in Chamchamal west of Sulaimani rejected rumors that Islamic State (ISIS) militants were seen in the district.
Rumors circulated on social media that ISIS militants had been seen in Bani Maqan and near Chamchamal, west of Sulaimani city.
“What have been said about seeing [ISIS] militants is not true,” Chamchamal mayor Ramak Ramazan told Esta Media Network, noting that the security forces had not confirmed the militants’ presence in the area.
“It is just rumors on social media. Neither villages’ directors nor the security forces have confirmed that,” he added.
Ramazan further said there was no “security vacuum” in the district and that the security forces would take “necessary measures” to protect people there.
Kurdish officials have warned that the militant group is using a security vacuum between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the disputed areas, claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
Iraqi commanders have warned that the group has been regrouping in northern Iraq and relying on women to secure logistical support for their operatives in the Hamrin mountain range.
The area is caught between the jurisdictions of the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga forces.
