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ISIS is going on the offensive in areas of strategic importance for the ISF and Iranian-backed militias to deny such forces freedom of movement between Samarra and its environs and the eastern Anbar front.
Mansouriya, Sudur Dam, and Muqdadiyah: On January 23, the ISF and Iraqi Shi’a militias launched an operation to clear ISIS from areas north of the main area of Muqdadiyah district, including the area where the Sudur dam is located.
Overt militia activities in central Baghdad, where many political parties and government figures reside, are unlikely to be tolerated by the government and the ISF.
ISIS launched the largest attack on the Peshmerga of the Kurdish PUK in Kirkuk province since the fall of Mosul.
The influence of Iran and the militias it backs is expanding to western Iraq.
The Iraqi Security Forces and the Peshmerga on one side and ISIS on the other side are all setting conditions for a future operation that aims to dislodge ISIS from Mosul.
A joint force of Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army, and Popular Mobilization Units containing Iraqi Shi’a militias reportedly launched an operation to retake villages in the Mansuriyah sub-district, north of Muqdadiyah.
Peshmerga forces resumed their offensive posture in northern Iraq following a recent lull in anti-ISIS operations.
The attacks by ISIS on Peshmerga forces in the main area of Sinjar district, west of Mosul, highlight that the area remains contested between ISIS on one side and Peshmerga, Yazidi fighters, and most likely fighters from the Kurdish YPG on the other side.
ISIS has escalated its attacks on Baquba, the capital city of Diyala Province, at a time when Iraqi Shi’a militias and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are preparing to launch an assault to clear ISIS from the last area under its control in Diyala province.