Islamic State leader of Kirkuk State arrested in infiltration attempt: Commander
Members of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) arrive at the scene of an attack outside warehouses where ballots from the May 12 parliamentary vote were stored in the northern multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk early on July 1, 2018. Marwan Ibrahim / AFP
Speaking to Alghad Press, Maj. Gen. Mazhar al-Azzawi, the commander, said “security forces from the intelligence department and the counter-terrorism of Diyala managed to arrest a leader from Islamic State’s so-called Kirkuk State, while he was attempting to sneak via the borders of the province through Jabbara region, northeast of Diyala.”
The militants, according to Azzawi, “was transferred to a detention cell for investigations so legal measures would be taken.”
Last week, troops of the Counter-Terrorism Service managed, during an operation, to arrest on Thursday a cell composed of 13 militants who had sneaked into Kirkuk. On Wednesday, three members of Islamic State, including a senior intelligence official, were arrested during a security campaign in southwestern Kirkuk. Up to 14 Islamic State members were killed on Tuesday in a series of airstrikes on northwest of Kirkuk province by the U.S.-led international coalition warplanes.
Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.
The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.