In a readout posted on its Facebook page, the directorate announced intelligence officers of Division 15 had captured “a dangerous terrorist” who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Abdalaziz.
According to the post, Abo Abdalaziz worked as an official in the “Islamic Police”, which imposed the group’s strict religious code.
He was captured “in an ambush set up for him in the al-Iiyadhiyah sub-district in the Tel-Afar district of Mosul,” it said.
Doctored photograph of Abo Abdalaziz released by Iraq's Directorate of Military Inteligence. Photo: Facebook The other ISIS member arrested was the so-called “Emir of Battles”, the statement said, without providing his name. He had participated in several battles against Iraqi forces in Anbar province, it said.
“He was captured after he had crossed the border and sneaked in from Syria … escaping from our heroic forces during the liberation operations,” the statement said.
He returned to Iraq and was arrested in Naaim village in Mosul’s Rabiyah sub-district.
Doctored photograph of the so-called “Emir of Battles” released by Iraq's Directorate of Military Inteligence. Photo: Facebook “He is one of the most dangerous terrorists to have participated in a number of battles against our security forces,” the statement added.
The unnamed jihadist participated in the long battle of Beiji refinery in 2014, two battles in Area 600 in Beiji district, a battle in Shirqat district, and in the Fosfat area in Anbar’s al-Hasiba, the statement said, adding he has four brothers, all members of ISIS, in Syria and Turkey.
Although the final territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria is about to be announced by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led coalition, ISIS is returning to its earlier insurgency tactics in both Iraq and Syria.
According to US military officials who spoke to CNN last week, thousands of ISIS fighters have slipped into Iraq in recent months.
Now they are terrorizing villages, ambushing security forces, and roaming freely in the night around the mountain ranges in Hamrin, Qarachogh, and Makhoul.
They have resorted to killing and kidnapping in a bid to increase their funds and force the population not to cooperate with Iraqi security forces.
Most of these areas fall in the disputed territories between Iraqi and Peshmerga lines.
Kurdish officials warned that Iraq’s offensive into the disputed territories in October 2017 and the resulting Peshmerga withdrawal would give ISIS breathing space to regroup.
Peshmerga and Iraqi forces are now in talks to form a joint operations room.
However, UN officials and other experts have warned that completely defeating ISIS will take many years, and the grievances that allowed it to take root have not be resolved.
