BAGHDAD — Although the Islamic State (IS) lost 50% of the territory it had taken control of since June 10, 2014, some of the group’s members who are still at large have succeeded in launching occasional attacks on security units in the country. Most recently, on Sept. 15, IS launched an attack targeting the Ajeel oil field, east of the city of Tikrit in Salahuddin province.
It seems the Iraqi security units and forces supporting them have not completely cleansed the areas that have been under the control of IS for the past two years, since their liberation. There are still some IS enclaves leading occasional surprise attacks against government forces in control of the liberated areas.