ISIS suspect captured in Sulaimani in joint operation with Iraqi units

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq security officials announced Thursday that an Islamic State (ISIS) suspect was captured in Sulaimani province in a joint operation by Iraqi counterterrorism and Kurdish units, with another militant apprehended in a separate operation in Anbar.

The detainee fought many battles for the group, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement, adding he “holds a military position in the so-called Anbar principality,” a term used by the group to denote areas under its control.

Units from Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) and the Kurdish security forces (Asayish) participated in the joint operations, according to the statement.

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

In a separate sting, the CTS apprehended another ISIS militant in Iraq’s western Anbar province.

ISIS rose to power and seized control of large swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell to Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition.

Despite its territorial defeat, the group continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, which stretch across the provinces of Salahaddin, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.

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