ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) in Sulaimani announced on Wednesday the arrest of an Islamic State (ISIS) leader believed to have executed two members of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
“The General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism announces the arrest of an ISIS emir who was involved in the martyrdom of two Peshmerga hostages,” the force wrote on Facebook.
The suspect has allegedly beheaded two Peshmerga hostages who were held by the terror group. No further details were disclosed by the CTG.
In a "confession" published at 8:00 pm local time by CTG, which is aligned with Sulaimani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the arrested introduced himself as Abdulwahab Salman Hamad, saying he joined ISIS in June 2014 through his uncle.
He noted that he served in the ranks of ISIS in several areas, saying he had a role in the killing and hostage of Peshmerga fighters.
ISIS seized control of swathes of land in Iraq in 2014 and was territorially defeated in 2017.
Approximately three dozen Peshmerga fighters were captured by ISIS. More than 2,000 Peshmerga were killed and 10,000 wounded in the fight against the terror group.
In 2015, Peshmerga fighter Hujam Surchi was beheaded in Mosul in front of a large crowd, sparking public outrage in the Kurdistan Region.
However, the terror group continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
The Iraqi forces on Monday said they arrested two ISIS suspects with the assistance of the Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism directorate. However, it is unclear if the ISIS leader is among those recently detained.
The terror group claimed responsibility for an attack on a village in southern Kirkuk, saying they have killed at least three civilians and injured four others.
In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted seven attacks in Iraq from March 31 to April 6, killing and injuring 16 people.
Updated at 8:50 pm
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