ISIS torches 5 civilian vehicles in Iraq’s Al-Anbar

Shafaq News/ ISIS militants set fire to five civilian vehicles belonging to local shepherds in a remote desert area south of Al-Rutbah district in western Al-Anbar, the district mayor reported on Monday.

Mayor Imad Al-Rishawi told Shafaq News that the attack occurred in an isolated area far from security checkpoints, where “sleeper cells of the terrorist group occasionally operate.”

While no casualties were reported, Al-Rishawi described the material losses as “severe,” warning that the incident highlights the continued threat posed by ISIS remnants.

He stressed the need for increased security presence and more robust intelligence operations in the desert interior, where extremist cells exploit the vast, open terrain to launch attacks with minimal resistance. “Security forces are currently conducting search and surveillance operations to track down the perpetrators and prevent further attacks,” he added.

Al-Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, holds strategic importance due to its long borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. In 2014, ISIS seized control of much of the province, turning it into a central stronghold within its self-proclaimed caliphate.

Although the group was territorially defeated in Iraq by late 2017 following a major military campaign backed by the US-led Global Coalition, its fighters have since regrouped into low-level insurgent cells that continue to stage attacks using hit-and-run tactics, IEDs, and mortar fire against security forces, civilians, and infrastructure.