Iraqi Police Officer Killed in ISIS Assault Near Kirkuk Following US-Led Coalition Withdrawal

An Iraqi federal police officer lost his life when ISIS militants launched an attack on a security site near Kirkuk, according to an interior ministry statement. This incident marks the first reported assault since the departure of the US-led coalition last week.

Bakr Majid Mohammed Al Lami died on Monday while bravely confronting a group of ISIS members attempting to storm his guard post located in the Al Barghaliyah area. To date, no group has issued a formal claim of responsibility for the attack.

According to two security sources speaking to Reuters, the assailants utilized semi-automatic machineguns and sniper fire during the assault on the federal police post. This event represents the initial reported ISIS strike against Iraqi security forces following the September 30 exit of the US-led coalition from Iraq.

The military coalition, originally established in 2014, was designed to back Iraqi forces in their ongoing combat against the group and to block any potential regrouping efforts. With Iraqi forces now shouldering full responsibility for national security and the suppression of ISIS remnants, the US has maintained that it will continue offering training and intelligence assistance.

Just prior to the coalition's withdrawal, Iraqi security forces successfully neutralized two suspected ISIS suicide bombers in the northern province of Kirkuk. Although ISIS suffered a territorial defeat in Iraq in late 2017, remaining cells continue to operate within remote deserts and valleys, making urban clashes quite rare.

Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi's government, alongside supporters such as the Co-ordination Framework, maintains that Iraqi forces possess the capability to independently manage security and that concluding the foreign combat presence restores complete sovereignty. Conversely, critics—including various Sunni and Kurdish politicians as well as security analysts—have voiced apprehensions regarding whether local forces can effectively contain ISIS without the air power, intelligence, and logistical backing previously provided by the coalition.