Islamic State terrorists have increased the number of their attacks in Iraq during the coronavirus pandemic, because they "reside in agricultural areas and are thus not particularly susceptible to the virus infection," Lt. Col. Stein Grongstad, the head of the 70-man Norwegian contingent in Iraq said on Wednesday, Stars and Stripes reported.
These attacks exploit the current multiple blows Iraq is facing in trying to contain the spread of the coronavirus while also attempting to deal with an economic downturn due to the collapse of oil prices to historic lows, a devastating situation for a country that depends on crude exports to fund 90% of its state expenditure.
Norway has had a contingent in western Iraq's massive and mostly desert area since 2017, where it trains and advises the regime’s security forces.
The Islamic State terrorists have recently been targeting Iraqi forces "that are not currently coordinated to the same extent as before the virus struck," Grongstad told Norway's VG newspaper.
While the rest of the world is grappling with the pandemic, Islamic State “has been moving the fighting from Syria to Iraq ... [and] is strengthening, both financially and militarily," Grongstad added.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.