Political unrest in Iraq creates space for terror groups to rise again

As the wave of mass protests sweeps across Iraq, there have been more frequent terror attacks in multiple parts of the country, said an Iraqi official, Reuters reports.

In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Major General Tahseen Al-Khafaji, spokesman of Iraqi Joint Operations said the wave of mass protests in Iraq has created a loophole for terrorists.

Since the death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in October, extremists have been weakened temporarily due to a broken leadership structure.

Lately however, there have been frequent terror attacks in northern Iraqi provinces, causing civilian casualties.

Terror forces seem determined to stage a comeback, but they are weakened and are at their last gasp.

“The intelligence department predict that after the death of Al-Baghdadi, terror groups can only carry out guerilla activities. The remaining terrorists have no other choices. If they don’t launch attacks, they can only wait to die or surrender,” said Al-Khafaji.

The general added that the crude weapons recently seized by security forces proved desperation on the part of terror groups, also showing their diminishing resources.

“The intelligence department is determined to stop extremist organizations from engaging in military confrontation or launching massive operations. Their source of funding was cut and the weapons we seized dealt them a huge blow,” said Al-Khafaji.

Source: MEM