BILL GERTZ: Shadowy Terrorist Group Emerges in Iraq.

White Flag is an armed group operating in areas of northwestern and central Iraq since late last year and appears to be a union of Kurdish terrorists and former ISIS fighters, according to U.S. defense and military officials.

“It’s kind of a hodge-podge of people and a white flag with a lion on it is their emblem,” said a military official familiar with the region.

Little is known about the new organization and some reports from the region say White Flag has adopted the Islamic State jihadist ideology.

But so far the group has not conducted suicide bombing attacks, a key ISIS terror tactic, and the lack of such attacks is raising suspicions White Flag may be a front group for Iraqi factions vying for power.

The military official said intelligence on the group is sketchy but preliminary indications are it poses a threat to the areas of Iraq where it has operated. White Flag, however, does not currently have capabilities for conducting terror attacks outside the country.

Then the time to start killing them is now, rather than blithely dismissing them as they “jayvee” and allowing the group to metastasize.