Seven suspected IS terrorists arrested in Iraq

Baghdad, Aug 23 (IANS) Iraq's military intelligence said that it has arrested seven suspected Islamic State (IS) terrorists, including two women, in northern Nineveh province.

The arrests were made in several areas of the province on Friday following "accurate intelligence information and intensive field monitoring," the directorate said in a statement. The suspects were handed over to the relevant authorities.

Major Moataz al-Luhaibi of the Nineveh Operations Command said the detainees were wanted for their involvement with the IS during the group's control of the province in 2014, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said they had continued working with their cells and took part in attacks against Iraqi security forces and civilians.

Iraq declared victory over the IS in 2017, but the group's remnants still carry out sporadic attacks in cities, deserts, and remote areas.

Earlier on August 12, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) said that its forces arrested 11 IS terrorists in a series of operations across several provinces.

Acting on intelligence reports, the forces carried out multiple operations and the suspects were apprehended in the provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Sulaymaniyah and Salahuddin, the ICTS said in a statement.

Furthermore, the troops discovered and destroyed dozens of IS hideouts, in addition to the clearing and destruction of several tunnels and a cave containing explosives, it added.

While Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in urban areas, deserts, and remote regions.

While on July 23, Iraqi security forces arrested 10 IS terrorists in operations across six provinces, the ICTS had announced.

During the operations in the provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Anbar, and Sulaymaniyah, the forces also destroyed six IS hideouts in the desert area in Anbar province, the ICTS said in a statement.

The ICTS said it will continue to eliminate the remnants of terrorism in Iraq.

--IANS

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