Daesh Taking Advantage of COVID-19 Crisis to Build-up in Iraq, Norwegian Forces Warn

By Staff, Agencies

The Norwegian military forces in Iraq warned that Daesh [the Arabic acronym for ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] terrorists are taking advantage of the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus and the group is in the process of rebuilding.

“It is a paradox that the virus that pacifies others has led to a boom for Daesh, with further terrorist attacks,” Colonel Lieutenant Stein Grongstad told the newspaper Verdens Gang.

“We feel that they have an attack strategy that consists of better planning and that they are specifically targeting Iraqi forces that are not currently coordinated to the same extent as before the virus struck. Daesh makes use of road bombs, possesses advanced explosives, and utilizes heavier arms. They also know how to use the terrain in the border areas to their advantage. In April, there were 20 Daesh attacks on Iraqi forces in Anbar province alone,” Grongstad said.

The Norwegian Telemark battalion is stationed in Iraq to train Iraqi soldiers to deal with the terrorist threat.

In recent months, they have been unable to have physical contact with the Iraqi military due to measures to stop the spread of the pandemic, whereas Daesh remain mostly in agricultural areas and are not particularly exposed to the infection.

Furthermore, prisoners have been released, including Daesh sympathizers. According to the paper, Daesh are getting new recruits from former convicts and opened refugee camps.

An Iraqi general emphasized that Daesh have dormant cells that carry out attacks before disappearing again and use the so-called “hit-and-run” strategy.

“Iraq is under pressure from several sides. The country is under financial pressure, is in a political crisis, and then the coronavirus came to the country. Daesh are using everything they can to spread their terror,” General Tahseen al-Khafagy, spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operation Command, told the newspaper Klassekampen.

According to al-Khafagy, Daesh are “insignificantly small”, but base their activities on individual attacks.