Iraqi, Kurdish counterterrorism forces arrest two in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi counterterrorism forces said on Monday they cooperated with Kurdish forces (Asayish) to arrest two “terrorists” in Sulaimani.

The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) announced the arrests of “two terrorists in Sulaimani province” in a statement.

The operation was carried out “in coordination and cooperation” with Kurdish security forces based in Sulaimani, according to the ICTS.

The statement provided no further details.

Iraqi and Kurdish security forces have carried out numerous joint raids against the Islamic State (ISIS) in recent years, primarily in Sulaimani. 

The Iraqi Security Media Cell announced in late July that they had arrested 21 ISIS suspects in cooperation with Asayish forces in Sulaimani province. 

ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.

Militarily, Iraqi and Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces have formed joint brigades and launched joint operations against ISIS to secure security vacuums in the disputed areas that are claimed by Baghdad and Erbil.

Thousands of people have been detained across Iraq since 2014 for suspected links to extremist groups, including ISIS, and hundreds have been executed.