"The reappearance of armed groups and the revival of sleeper cells is a notable threat,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, adding the cooperation between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga in areas with security gaps was a vital necessity.
The ministry also spoke out against Friday’s attack on Iraqi forces, saying, "We strongly condemn the ISIS attack on the Iraqi army that led to the martyrdom of a group of Iraqi soldiers in al-Azim sub-district, Diyala.”
The Peshmerga ministry asked for an increase in efforts to gather intelligence to "chase down and destroy all ISIS sleeper cells.”
Thursday’s attack in Diyala’s district of al-Khalis was one of the deadliest attacks on Iraqi forces in months.
ISIS militants took advantage of foggy weather earlier on Friday to attack a barracks in al-Azim sub-district.
Federal Iraqi forces in cooperation with Peshmerga and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) declared victory over ISIS in 2017. Since then, the militant group has resorted to guerilla hit-and-run tactics but remains a potent threat in some parts of the country.
Reporter's code: 50101