Security forces arrest two ISIS suspects, rescue captives in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two Islamic State (ISIS) operatives were arrested in Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province on Monday in a joint operation with the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS), the province’s internal security forces (Asayish) announced. Asayish also said they rescued family members of one of the militants who were held captive. 

Asayish and the ICTS arrested the “both wanted terrorists” in "separate operations” executed within “the vicinity of Sulaimani and the Raparin Administration [north of the province],” their statement read. 

“Following the operations, the wife and child of one of the terrorists - who had previously been held captive by that militant - were rescued.”

ICTS confirmed the arrest in a separate statement, as Asayish noted that investigation is ongoing. “Currently, the terrorists are detained under Article 2 of the Anti-Terrorism Law,” Asayish stated.

This comes as Kurdistan Region security forces and the ICTS are expanding their efforts to launch coordinated operations to track down ISIS sleeper cells and operatives. 

Article 2 of Kurdistan Region’s anti-terrorism law maintains capital punishment for eight specific terrorism-related offenses, including establishing a terrorist group, politically motivated assassinations, and acts of terrorism resulting in death.

In late June, Sulaimani’s domestic Asayish forces and Iraqi counter-terrorism units arrested three ISIS militants in Sulaimani, including one whom they coined the  “general explosives official.”

Earlier in May, they had arrested nine suspects of the group in the province.

According to the Sulaimani’s Asayish, a total of 298 anti-terror operations were carried out in 2025, resulting in the arrest of 716 terror suspects.

Although territorially defeated in Iraq in late 2017, ISIS has resumed operations through its sleeper cells, particularly in Nineveh, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Anbar provinces. Most of the arrested suspects originate from these provinces but have resided in the Kurdistan Region.