In recent weeks, the ISIS terrorist group has carried out numerous attacks in the disputed areas of Iraq, especially in the Kurdish regions, during which more than ten Peshmerga forces have lost their lives. The group took the control of a Kurdish village in the area for at least a night.

Le Monde Diplomatique reported that the reason for the rise of the ISIS in the disputed areas is the security vacuum in these areas and the lack of clear control over the regions.

Hardy Mead, a political analyst, told the magazine that more than two-thirds of ISIS attacks in Iraq in 2021 were in the disputed areas of Kirkuk, Diyala and Salahadin provinces.

He warned that the ISIS has launched a new phase of attacks and might even be able to seize a city. The terrorist group has changed its tactics from fleeing attacks to trying to seize territory.

Le Monde Diplomatique added in the report that the main reason for ISIS's ability to reorganize its forces in the disputed areas is the security vacuum in the areas, as neither Iraqi nor Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces have been there since October 2017, when the Kurdish forces were expelled.

The magazine went on to say that the only way to fill the security vacuum in the disputed areas is to reach a political agreement between the Kurds and the central government on the political situation of the regions.

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