Iraqi Forces Passive Amid Escalation of Syrian Civil War...Resurgence of 'IS'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the Syrian civil war intensifies again and tensions between Iran and the United States persist, the Iraqi military has shown a passive stance in the coalition’s eradication operations, allowing the Islamic State (IS) to regain strength. IS, having elected a new leader, is reported to have gathered more than 40,000 members by exploiting the renewed turmoil in the Middle East.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 5th (local time), the Syrian government forces, with Russian support, have resumed their offensive on Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria. This has resulted in over 500,000 additional refugees from the Idlib area alone. In Iraq, it was reported that the government officially instructed the Iraqi military not to seek support or cooperation from the US and Western international coalition forces in the IS eradication operations. With reduced pressure from both Syria and Iraq, IS is gaining room to operate again.

In Iraq, anti-American sentiment grew stronger after the US eliminated Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, leading the Iraqi parliament to pass a resolution calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, worsening US-Iraq relations. Consequently, IS eradication operations were stalled throughout January, but on the 30th of last month, it was announced that the US and Iraq agreed to resume joint operations. However, relations with the US remain unstable. It is known that Iraq finds it difficult to continue IS eradication operations without air support from the US and the international coalition forces.

With relatively more room for reconstruction, IS appointed Al-Salbi, a legal scholar from Turkmenistan in Central Asia, as the successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was eliminated by US forces in October last year. Since then, IS has established Mosul in Iraq as its new base, aiming to reorganize and expand its forces. According to the British daily The Guardian, the United Nations (UN) Security Council recently reported that the number of IS active members ranges from at least 40,000 to 70,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.