Tribal figures warn of massive displacement from the Sheikh Baba basin

Shafaq News/ Tribal figures in Diyala warned of mass displacement from the Sheikh Baba basin, northern Jalawla, with ISIS militants ramping up attacks against the civilians and the security authorities unable to handle the threat of the insurgent groups.

Yesterday, a group of ISIS militants attacked the village of al-Islah in Jalawla with rifles and mortar shells, killing nearly twelve persons, including women and children.

Abu Ahmed al-Hayali, a dignitary from al-Islah, said in a statement to Shafaq News Agency, "the residents of ten villages have appealed to the security authorities. These villages might be evacuated following the attack by ISIS militants yesterday."

"The villages of the Sheikh Baba basin are Harboring huge security concerns following yesterday's brazen attack," he added.

Al-Hayali held the Iraqi army responsible for the recurrent security breaches in the territory. "They do not devise or execute plans that might deter the movements of the extremist group members," he added.

"The fifth division's 74th brigade did a better job than the 51st brigade," he continued, "We still do not know how."

Al-Hayali called for organizing the locals into a formation of the Tribal Mobilization in order to deter the recurrent attacks and bloody incursions, dismissing the "dredging of orchards and sporadic operations" as useless measures.

A senior officer in the Tribal Mobilization in northern Jalawla, Mahdi al-Khattab, attributed the inclination of the locals toward displacement to the security authorities' failure to find proper solutions.

"The Sheikh Baba basin is a vulnerable territory. The locals live with constant fears and concerns of security failure," he added, "the locals and tribes of Sheikh Baba have filed an application to form a tribal Mobilization here since 2018. All they received, however, was empty promises."

"Northern Jalawla has lost 80 martyrs and dozens of injured people since 2018. The locals are yet to receive any compensations amid negligence of the Tribal Mobilization and the lack of financial or logistic support."

"The Tribal Mobilization is not classified as a security body despite its contributions to the battle against ISIS since 2014," the commander said.