Regionally and internationally, the Lion's operation eliminated ISIS remnants

Baghdad - INA

Experts and security personnel praised the results achieved from the Lion's operation operation in the Anbar desert, which was announced by the Joint Operations Command, considering it to have reflected the capabilities of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and contributed to eliminating very dangerous and first-line leaders.

In this regard, Prime Minister's Advisor Hussein Allawi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "This strategic operation has collected strategic information over several months from intelligence agencies, most notably the National Intelligence Service, the Counter-Terrorism Service, and the Intelligence Cell of the Joint Operations Command," noting that "as a result, the operation was well-crafted and purposeful in killing important senior leaders in the terrorist ISIS gangs."

He added that "the operation provided a path to ending the capabilities of the terrorist gangs in open desert areas and destroying the network leadership and mobile detachments in very complex areas with a completely desert nature," indicating that "this qualitative operation is the second of its kind after several months of the major operation that was parallel to it and in which the same units participated."

Allawi explained that "this work aims to enhance the work of the Iraqi government in paving the way for development and the movement of reconstruction and building, and is an important signal from the Joint Operations Command that it will monitor all security threats and risks that attempt to disrupt development and reconstruction in the country."
He concluded by pointing out that "the strategic the Lion's operation has now destroyed all the threads of leadership of the terrorist organization and even the external operations that might have been carried out by the concentration of these terrorist leaders at this level," stressing that "the operation has a major impact on Iraqi national security as well as on the movement of the terrorist organization regionally and internationally."

In turn, National Security Advisor Qasim Al-Araji said in a tweet followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The Iraqi National Intelligence Service is proud of you, brave heroes, in penetrating terrorism with your professional work that led to the destruction of its leaders, and that "Iraq is safe and stable with the sacrifices of its sons."

Security and strategic analyst Fadhel Abu Raghif believes that "this strike came in conjunction with the challenges of the security scene, especially in the western regions of the country, where ISIS gangs tried to create four to five hideouts in the desert on sprawling borders and rugged roads that are difficult to penetrate and difficult to reach," noting that "ISIS gangs believed that creating these advanced hideouts, which adopted new methods of technology, would prevent them from being discovered by the security services. Therefore, the National Intelligence Service clearly succeeded through monitoring, following up, pursuing, arresting and luring some leaders who were related to this matter, which made this operation successful by all standards that led to striking the joints of ISIS gangs, especially in this era."

Abu Raghif confirmed to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "The importance of this operation lies in the fact that it reflected the ability of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, including officers and members, to achieve intelligence successes that have yielded these very significant results," he said, noting that "ISIS gangs are going through a state of confusion and chaos after the intelligence service managed to thwart the efforts of these terrorist gangs for four years."
Abu Raghif stressed that "this operation thwarted ISIS's move into Anbar province and curbed the operations of booby-trapping, bombing, suicide and IEDs," affirming that the Lion's operation has made Anbar and Baghdad safe."

For his part, security and military analyst Sarmed Al-Bayati added to the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "We were waiting for the DNA results of the operation carried out by the Iraqi Intelligence Service in cooperation with the international coalition forces and under the supervision or follow-up of the joint operations, which showed that the leaders who were killed were perhaps at the level of the killing of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, because these leaders are very dangerous, and they are from the first line, and they were present in this guest house," indicating that "this operation broke the back of ISIS completely in western Anbar, and perhaps all of Iraq because it was at a high level of precision and follow-up by the intelligence service."
He explained that "ISIS now lacks first-line leaders because all of those leaders were killed in the Lion's operation, which caused a major disruption to the terrorist gangs."

In turn, security expert Mohammed Ghasoub told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The security forces of all kinds have begun to develop, especially after the liberation operations, and have gained great experience in combating terrorism," noting that "the Lion's operation is evidence of the development of the security forces that were able to destroy many ISIS gangs' guest houses in this region."
He noted that "the operation was well planned and with a high level of professionalism and with information prepared by the intelligence service and in coordination with many different security forces," noting that "all the leaders killed in this operation are from the first rank leadership of ISIS gangs."

He continued that "the security forces obtained important information in the computers that were seized in ISIS guest houses, and it is very important information," stressing that "ISIS gangs cannot carry out any operation that affects the future of Iraq with the presence of the security forces that have become sufficiently knowledgeable in dealing with terrorists."

In addition, security analyst Amir Al-Saadi confirmed that "Operation Lions Leap achieved results at the international level after the security forces found important information in the computers in the guest houses that were targeted," noting that "the operation carried an important message that the Iraqi security forces are capable of dealing with ISIS gangs and carrying out preemptive operations through the National Intelligence Service, especially with the fear of counterattacks by ISIS gangs from Syria, as well as international fears of ISIS movements outside the borders of Iraq, so the operation is not only for Iraq but for the countries of the world as well."

He pointed out that "the operation took place in complex locations and required a lot of time to obtain accurate information, which is what the intelligence service did to ensure the presence of these hideouts very accurately," noting that "killing these terrorist leaders will confuse ISIS cells spread in some areas and prevent the renewal of their activity, especially since ISIS gangs have been subjected to many decisive blows by the security services."

Security expert Ayyad al-Tufan confirmed to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the Lion's operation will affect the work of ISIS terrorist gangs," indicating that "reaching these terrorist leaders with such speed and accuracy will put everyone in front of many exclamation points because they succeeded in hunting down their main leaders, which means that they are all targeted by the security forces."

He stated that "the operation will spread chaos, disbelief and instability among ISIS criminals, and they will not be able to gather in one place."
He stressed that "Operation Lions Leap is one of the qualitative operations that targeted ISIS gangs because it led to the killing of a number of front-line leaders, and it also confirmed the ability of the intelligence service to provide accurate information, in addition to obtaining valuable information using computers that were found in the hideouts."

For his part, political analyst Hamza Mustafa said in a tweet followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "Revealing the names of ISIS leaders in Operation Lions Leap is evidence of the growing capabilities of the security services, especially the National Intelligence Service, in monitoring and follow-up, which leads to directing preemptive strikes."