Iraqi security arrest four Islamic State members in Mosul city
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group in Iraq. File photo
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – The Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that it arrested four dangerous Islamic State militants in the group’s last stronghold of Mosul.
In remarks to the Iraqi Alghad Press website, spokesman for the Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Saad Maan said, “The four terrorists were arrested in al-Zahraa and al-Qahira districts in Mosul’s eastern side.”
“One of the arrestees was working for the terrorist group’s Iftaa (religious opinion) department,” Maan pointed out.
Iraqi authorities regularly announce the capture of Islamic State extremists in different parts in the country since the collapse of the group’s territorial influence in the country last year.
The exact number of detained militants is still unknown, however, it’s estimated to be at thousands. Moreover, the Iraqi government did not provide estimates about number of the foreign detained militants or those who have Arab or Iraqi origins.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced last year the liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.
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.