Iraq targets lingering ISIS pockets with airstrikes, operations in security vacuum after US pullout

Iraq has intensified airstrikes and operations against ISIS remnants following the US withdrawal on September 30, 2026. F-16 aircraft struck a hideout in Diyala province. ISIS remains severely weakened but exploits security gaps between Iraqi and Kurdish forces, particularly in the Hamrin mountains and Hawija area.

Iraq has ramped up airstrikes and military operations against Islamic State remnants following the US withdrawal from Iraq on September 30, 2026. On October 11, the Iraqi Security Media Cell announced that F-16 aircraft carried out two airstrikes targeting a hideout belonging to Daesh elements in the Nareen area of Diyala province, resulting in its complete destruction. The strikes were based on intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate and coordinated with the Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance Center. The article notes that ISIS is severely weakened and consists mainly of scattered cells in rural areas, but exploits security gaps between Iraqi federal forces and the Kurdistan Regional Government, particularly in the Hamrin mountains and near Hawija. On October 5, militants attacked a Federal Police position in Hawija's al-Bargliya area, killing one officer and wounding four. Iraq's Joint Operations Command also conducted an airborne assault on six suspected ISIS hideouts in Kirkuk province. The article contextualizes the current threat by recalling ISIS's rise in 2014 during a period of sectarian tension and chaos following the 2011 US withdrawal, but notes the group no longer has the strength or influence it once possessed.