Iraqi security forces arrest seven wanted ISIS terrorists in a series of counter-terror operations in the provinces of Anbar, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.
Iraqi security forces arrested seven wanted Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in a series of counter-terror operations across the provinces of Anbar, Kirkuk, and Nineveh, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced Wednesday, according to the Xinhua news agency.
According to the ministry’s statement, intelligence units launched coordinated ambushes and raids on terrorist hideouts in cooperation with ground forces, successfully capturing the suspects.
“The detained individuals were involved in multiple terrorist attacks against Iraqi security forces in the past, and were handed over to relevant authorities,” the statement read.
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a “caliphate” in land it controlled.
Several military offensives, including those backed by the US-led international coalition, have since seen ISIS lose most areas it once controlled, including the loss of their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria. However, ISIS sleeper calls remain in the area continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.
In August of 2023, UN experts said that ISIS still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former stronghold in Syria and Iraq and its fighters pose the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan.
