MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA A New Insurgency Group in Iraq: The White Flags OE Watch Commentary: While the black flags of the Islamic Source: Zêrîn Bêjih, “Işid Yerine Beyaz Bayraklılar Geliyor (The State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are no longer flying over Iraqi cities, White Flags Replacing ISIS),” ZerNews, 13 April 2018. https:// new terrorist groups are already emerging from the ashes of ISIS. tr.zer.news/2018/04/isid-yerine-beyaz-bayraklilar-orgutu.html A group called “the White Flags” could be replacing ISIS’s black flags with white ones. This group is primarily operating in areas of ISIS’s black flags are no longer flying over Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government. However, new armed groups have already northwestern and central Iraq and its headquarters seem to be the started emerging post-ISIS. ISIS’s black flags may be replaced by Hamreen Mountains near Kirkuk. Its commander, Hiwa Kiwer, has the “the White Flags”. had long-standing problems with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Especially when [Federal government of] Iraq, Turkey’s Turkmen Once the ISIS presence weakened, he decided to form his own group. militias, Iran, Hezbollah and Popular Mobilization Units occupied The accompanying article from Arbil-based ZerNews profiles this new Kurdistan Region’s cities, and when these foreign forces and police terrorist group. without roots to the local communities entered these cities, it As Al-Qaeda in Iraq mutated into ISIS, it seems ISIS is now set to created chaos and a vacuum. mutate into different terrorist groups. According to the article, the retreat The headquarters of the White Flags Organization that is of Kurdish forces from the area, in order to avoid a confrontation with replacing ISIS is in Kerkuk’s Hamreen mountains. Hîwa Kiwêr the Federal Government of Iraq right after the Kurdish independence who is in his 40s leads this organization… referendum, created a vacuum for the insurgents due to the absence As of now the members of the organization fluctuates between 500 of forces with ties to the local communities. While Kurdish and Iraqi and 1200. security forces still surround the mountains, they do not communicate According to the information given by the Ministry of Peshmerga, with each other and blame one another for supporting the White Flags. ISIS gathered in this area after they were defeated. They changed their name to “the White Flags”, but the change is in name only… The article states that according to information provided by the They train in the Hamreen Mountains and they are on the move in Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, when that area. The area has protection against air and ground attacks. ISIS was defeated, the surviving fighters gathered in these mountains. They excavated tunnels there. Thanks to the tunnels, they move While members of the White Flags number between 500 and 1200, the between Kurdish and Arab inhabited areas. only difference between them and ISIS is their name. The members of Their military camps are 7 miles away from Tuz Khurmatu. this group receive training in the Hamreen Mountains about seven miles away from Tuz Khurmatu, as these mountains provide some protection According to the information provided by the Iraqi Army officials from air and ground attacks. The article notes that the White Flags they move the around in the mountainous areas. Therefore, to locate their hideouts and tunnels is very hard. They are very have excavated tunnels to move around between Kurdish and Arab experienced and have expertise with the geography if this region… settlements. Their familiarity with the mountainous region and their use of tunnels to move around poses a challenge for locating them. So far the White Flags have not staged a suicide attack, but they have engaged in combat with the Popular Mobilization Units, Iraqi So far, they have not engaged in suicide attacks. However, they have Army, and Peshmerga Forces. engaged in combat with the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (Iraqi Now they recruit new militants and put forth great efforts to militia), Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga forces. According obtain more weapons. They tell people “we struggle to rescue and to the accompanying article, their current primary objectives are protect you.” recruitment, obtaining weapons and promoting their propaganda among Who is one eye leader Hîwa Kiwêr? local communities until they find conducive grounds to launch large- In 2002, Hîwa Kiwêr drew the attention of the Iraqi and Kurdish scale attacks. End OE Watch Commentary (Gunduz) governments to himself… He was with the Ansar Al-Islam…later on pledged allegiances to the leader of Al-Qaeda Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. “Their purpose for now is to preserve their connections and networks until they they find conducive ground to launch large scale attacks.” Hamrin Mountain Range during Operation Bulldog Hammer (2007), cropped. Source: By Spc. Rick Rzepka [Public domain], https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:101st%2BAirborne%2BDivision%2BIron%2BHammer.jpg. OE Watch | June 2018 13.