Shafaq News / Diyala Governorate criticized today, "Iraq heroes" operation for ignoring what it considered "the largest and most dangerous terrorist hotbed for ISIS".
"The operations of "Iraq heroes" did not address 1% of the conditions of the Sheikh Baba area, north of Jalawla sub-district, which includes 10 villages that are still trapped by the threats of small groups of ISIS operatives", the deputy for Diyala governor, Karim Ali Zanganeh, told Shafaq News agency.

Zanganeh stressed, "the security negligence of the Sheikh Baba has destroyed tens of thousands of acres of orchards that extend from the outskirts of Jalawla to the borders of the Kalar district", indicating that attacks from ISIS terrorists stationed in the orchards became daily events to the inhabitants of those areas.

Zanganeh said, "the security forces are not fulfilling their duties as required. We called on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi during his visit to Diyala to address the file Sheikh Baba, but the issue turned into quarrels with the Peshmerga and took a political aspect".

It is noteworthy that northern Jalawla areas have been a subject of security unrest for more than two years after ISIS militants fled from the liberated areas and to orchards of Jalwla.

Jalawla district is located 70 km northeast of Baquba and is inhabited by a mixture of Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen. ISIS gangs took over the district in August 2014 before being recovered in November of the same year.