Iraq's Kirkuk oil fields are frequently attacked, prompting security forces to carry out large-scale search operations.

On July 18th local time, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command issued a statement saying that the Iraqi security forces have recently launched a large-scale search operation in the desert areas of Nineveh and Saladin provinces in the north. The operation focuses on multiple warehouses, valleys, and caves. The statement said that the operation was ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister and Chief of the Armed Forces, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, supervised on-site by the Director of Counterterrorism, and carried out in coordination with the combat units in Nineveh and Saladin provinces as well as the Popular Mobilization Organization. The operation aims to thwart potential attacks against the Iraqi security forces and critical national infrastructure.