Two Islamic State members arrested in Kirkuk: Defense Ministry
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected fighter with the Islamic State group during a military operation.
“Federal Police troops in Kirkuk inspected Shahl al-Gadid,” Brig.Gen. Yahia Rasool, spokesperson for the center, said in a statement. “Troops managed to arrest two suspects two suspects, one of whom belonged to the so-called Kirkuk State- Al-Muqdad bin al-Aswad brigade, while the other belonged to Kirkuk State-Daquq sector.”
On Thursday, security forces managed to kill “the black-dressed”, a senior leader of Daesh terrorist gangs, along with six of his companions in Dibs in Kirkuk.
Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country.
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 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June, 2014. Many IS members were detained during liberation battles that freed cities, which were recaptured by the militant group in 2014.
In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014. However, the group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.