The high officials spoke on concerns over recent ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria and insisted on the importance of strengthening the lines of defense and procedures to protect the Kurdistan Region from the threat of ISIS.
The announcement from the KRG Department of Media Information noted the necessity of continuous contact between security in the Kurdistan Region, the Iraqi Federal Government and the Coalition against ISIS.
There has been a resurgence of ISIS activity in both Syria and Iraq over the past month. One of the most-deadly attacks on Iraqi forces in months occurred early on Friday morning when 11 soldiers were killed in an attack on a barracks in Diyala.
In an ongoing situation in Hasaka, Syria, ISIS sleeper cells coordinated three explosions in connection with a mass prison break attempt. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to battle escaped militants and insurgents in the vicinity of the prison.
Meanwhile authorities in Iraq have warned prisons housing Islamic State (ISIS) members to increase security measures, intelligence sources informed Iraqi media on Saturday, January 22.
Prison facilities have received instructions to be on high security following a major prison break that began on Thursday night in Syria’s Hasaka, where thousands of ISIS members are detained.
Strict policies have been implemented in al-Taji, al-Kifl and al-Hut prisons where ISIS members and their leaders are held.
Security concerns over Islamic State sleeper cells have increased in the last few days following the ongoing clashes in Hasaka and an ISIS attack in Diyala that killed 11 members of Iraqi forces.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi said on Saturday, "The escalation of terrorist operations targeting our military and security forces requires a strong response and proactive intelligence work.”
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Internal Security Forces (ISF) continued to battle ISIS militants on Saturday in the vicinity of al-Sinaa prison in Hasaka, where sleeper cells staged a massive prison break attempt.
SDF media center said on Friday its forces managed to capture 89 inmates who had escaped from the prison.
The Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yehia Rasool, said on Saturday measures have been taken to secure Iraq’s border with Syria.
Hoshang Derwish, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Assembly in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, referred to the insurgency of ISIS prisoners in Hasna al-Sanaa prison and the attack by ISIS militants on the prison on Friday and stated that the prison is now under the control of the kurdish-led SDF forces.
"They wanted to release the prisoners in the prison. In the attack on the prison, some prisoners escaped, but with the arrival of the security forces, the prisoners who had tried to escape were arrested and returned to the prison," Mr. Derwish told Kurdpress in an interview.
He added: "The gunmen who attacked the prison fled to the neighborhood of Hey Al-Zohour and hid in the neighborhood and used the residents as hostages. The Syrian Democratic Forces drove the citizens out of the neighborhood and they are fighting in a battle and are killing the militants.
The representative added: "A large number of militants have been killed so far. About 28 ISIS members have been killed so far."
"Our SDF & ISF are tightening the siege on Daesh [ISIS] terrorist attackers in the perimeter of al-Sinaa prison & managed to retake several points on the northern side eliminating several attackers,” Farhad Shami, the head of the SDF media center said on Saturday.
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