DEBKA: Iraq recovered Hawija from ISIS without firing a shot

DEBKAfile’s military sources dispute the Iraqi prime minister Haydar al-Abadi’s claim that his army vanquished ISIS in a two-week offensive to liberate the town of Hawija near Kirkuk. Our sources reveal that, instead of launching this offensive, Iraqi army commanders negotiated a deal with the jihadists through the mediation of local Arab tribes. They granted safe passage for the occupiers and their families to withdraw from Hawija, in return for a commitment not to resist the Iraqi army’s takeover of the town. Iraqi troops indeed secured a corridor for their exit, after which the Islamic fighters headed for Diyala in eastern Iraq near the Iranian border.