At a Glance

• Federal Police units are set to withdraw from Kirkuk within 15 days.
• The Iraqi Army’s 17th Division will take over positions in Hawija.
• The reshuffle follows a series of ISIS attacks on security checkpoints.

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Information obtained by Channel8 indicates that major security changes are planned in Kirkuk Governorate within the next 15 days, including the withdrawal of the Iraqi Federal Police’s 3rd Division from Hawija and its replacement by the Iraqi Army’s 17th Division.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Security Restructuring: The 17th Iraqi Army Division will assume positions currently held by the 3rd Federal Police Division in Hawija.
• Decision: The redeployment was finalized at a meeting of senior Iraqi military commanders on the evening of October 11.
• Focus Area: Changes to security deployments in Kirkuk following recent ISIS attacks.

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Federal Police Withdrawal

The 3rd Division of the Federal Police, which currently oversees security checkpoints and other duties in Hawija district, is expected to leave the area as part of the planned restructuring.

The Iraqi Army’s 17th Division, affiliated with Baghdad Operations Command, will move to Kirkuk and take over the division’s existing military posts and positions. The unit was previously deployed in Yusifiya and along the Baghdad to Karbala route.

The deployment will add to the Iraqi Army’s existing presence in the governorate, where the 8th and 11th Divisions are already stationed and oversee security in surrounding areas.

Recent ISIS Attacks

The planned redeployment follows several attacks attributed to ISIS militants since the beginning of October against Federal Police checkpoints in the Hawija sector. The changes were finalized during a high-level meeting of senior Iraqi military commanders on October 11.

FYI

Hawija, located southwest of Kirkuk city, was once a major stronghold of the Islamic State group in Iraq. Although Iraqi forces retook the district in 2017, ISIS cells have continued to pose security challenges in parts of the country through attacks on security forces and checkpoints.

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