Shakhwan Abdullah warns of "ticking bombs" near Kirkuk's south

Shafaq News/ Extremist groups infesting the territories of Riyadh, Rashad, and al-Abbas are a threat to Kirkuk, the second speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, said on Monday, calling for a security action to defuse those "ticking bombs".

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Abdullah said, "the terrorist activities of ISIS in southern and southwestern Kirkuk are remarkably growing. They exploit the security gaps to strike the security forces and cause irreparable losses."

"ISIS militants have carried out a series of unexpected and surprise attacks recently. Some of those attacks took place in territories that were safe during Kirkuk's most turbulent times," he said.

"This should prompt a revision of the security plans in the governorate," he said, calling for sealing the infiltration routes and security gaps in the area sprawling from Hemrin and Makhmour to Qara Gogh and Saladin-Kirkuk borders.

"The territories on the outskirts of Haweja district (Rashad, Riyadh, and al-Abbasi) are ticking bombs that jeopardize the security of Kirkuk and nearby governorates," the lawmaker continued, "they have been purged from ISIS remnants, albeit five years have passed since the liberation."

Abdullah called for deploying joint forces in unstable territories and devising new security plans that commensurate with the actual size of the threat.

The deputy speaker of the parliament called for building a defense wall to fend off the terrorists attempting to infiltrate the central and northern areas of Kirkuk, intensify the intelligence efforts, and cut the funding and support offered to them by certain powerful people and parties