ISIS Intensifies Attacks to Capture Samarra

The Islamic State group has intensified its attacks to capture Samarra, one of the holy cities for Shia Muslims, prompting a warning from Ayatollah Ali Sistani, a religious authority in Iraq. On Friday, December 21, the German news agency reported that following an ISIS attack on a Sunni city around Samarra and its capture, government forces and Shia militias have reinforced defensive positions in Samarra, located 110 kilometers from Baghdad. Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leader of Shia Muslims in Iraq, warned about the Islamic State's attack to seize the city of Samarra. Abd al-Mahdi Karbalaei, Sistani's representative, called for stronger military actions and unity among all groups to reclaim Sunni areas from ISIS. He stated, 'Iraqi forces have achieved significant victories against ISIS elements in various regions, but this group is now seeking to capture holy sites like Samarra. Iraqi military forces must be vigilant and cautious in dealing with ISIS.' The German news agency further reported that the capture of Samarra would strengthen the Islamic State's positions in the north of the country, posing a serious threat to Baghdad. Currently, large areas of Syrian territory are also under the control of ISIS fighters. The shrine of the Tenth and Eleventh Imams, a significant pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims, is located in Samarra. The 2006 attack on one of these shrines, attributed to Sunni extremist groups, sparked retaliatory attacks that resulted in hundreds of deaths across the country. In another development, the international coalition against the Islamic State has targeted the group's positions in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes 27 times in just three days. Reuters reported on Friday, citing U.S. military officials in Washington, that the joint task force leading coalition operations has conducted seven airstrikes near Kobani, Aleppo, and in border areas of Iraq and Syria, destroying ISIS facilities, fortifications, and bunkers. The report also states that coalition forces have carried out 20 other airstrikes in Iraq over the past three days, targeting ISIS positions near the cities of Ramadi, Arbaeen, Mosul, al-Qaim, Samarra, Rawah, al-Rutbah, and al-Asad. In this context, Zarif stated that there are grounds for optimism in the fight against ISIS, while the Iraqi Foreign Minister noted that the international coalition arrived late to the war. ISIS is currently in a 'defensive position' in some areas of Iraq, and Iraq has called for an increase in coalition airstrikes and the provision of heavy weapons. Kerry has called for a new military authorization for operations against ISIS.