Iraqi police apprehend four Islamic State members in Diyala
Iraqi troops arrest a suspected Islamic State militant
Diyala (Iraqinews.com) – Federal police in Iraq have arrested four Islamic State (IS) members during a security operation in Diyala province, a well-placed security official was quoted as saying Sunday.
Speaking to Iraqi website Alghad Press, the chief police officer of Diyala said that “the four were belonging to the Islamic State’s so-called Diyala State with one of them found to be responsible for transporting IS terrorists.”
“Among the arrestees was an Islamic State’s financial official as well,” he pointed out, adding that a large number of IDs and video equipment were found in possession of the terrorists.
Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence earlier in November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.
IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary troops, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.