ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi and Kurdish security forces have arrested nearly a dozen “terrorists” in a series of coordinated operations targeting remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) reported on Tuesday.
In a statement on X, the ICTS noted, “Our heroes have carried out major security operations” based on precise intelligence, resulting in “the arrest of 11 terrorist elements” and the “clearing and destruction of multiple tunnels, caves, and hideouts used by the group.”
The arrests took place in several provinces, the ICTS explained, detailing that five individuals were apprehended in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, while four others were arrested in different areas of Kirkuk.
In the Kurdistan Region, the ICTS confirmed that a “terrorist” was arrested in the Region’s eastern Sulaimani province “in cooperation with the Kurdistan Region Asayish Directorate.”
Another ISIS member was reportedly captured in central Iraq’s Salahaddin province, the ICTS added, noting that in coordination with the Sulaimani Asayish, “We were able to inspect and clear 13 hideouts in Salahaddin through multiple missions.
“We also destroyed three tunnels, found various ammunition, and detonated landmines and improvised explosive devices [IEDs] in the same province.”
The Iraqi counter-terrorism forces characterized the efforts are “part of the continuous national effort to hunt down the remnants of ISIS terrorist gangs,” emphasizing that all operations were conducted with full legal backing and per “warrants issued by the Iraqi judiciary, which plays a fundamental role in complementing the efforts of the security agencies.”
ISIS seized large swaths of territory in Iraq in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated by the Iraqi army in 2017. However, the group continues to pose a threat in parts of the country through ambushes, kidnappings, and targeted killings - particularly in areas disputed between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
These ongoing security challenges come as Erbil and Baghdad have stepped up joint efforts to close security gaps and improve coordination.
In a separate incident, the Sulaimani Asayish announced on Wednesday that a “terrorist cell” had been dismantled before it could carry out a major attack.
The cell comprised “two terrorists,” who were planning to detonate a civil defense center in Sulaimani city, the Kurdish security forces said, noting that the suspects had confessed to “planning to poison the center's drinking water supply and then detonate one of its vehicles.”
The Asayish added that the arrested individuals “are now undergoing interrogation under Article 2 of the Counter-Terrorism Law," which defines a wide range of acts as terrorist crimes, from forming extremist groups and using explosives to providing aid or training to terrorists.
