Iraqi security: 3 Islamic State militants arrested in Baghdad, Nineveh

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi security forces arrested on Tuesday three members of Islamic State (IS) in Baghdad and Nineveh, the interior ministry’s spokesman was quoted as saying.

In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Watan News, Maj. Gen. Saad Maan said that “two IS members were arrested in Nineveh province over their involvement in launching attacks against security forces.”

“In the capital Baghdad, police intelligence officers arrested an IS militant, who was working for the group’s so-called Diyala State,” Maan said, adding that the arrests were made upon accurate intelligence reports.

According to the spokesman, all legal procedures were taken against the arrestees.

The exact number of Islamic State militants at Iraqi prisons is still unknown, however, it’s estimated to be at thousands. It’s also unclear how many members are likely to face death sentences.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence last 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 forces, 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.