Iraqi counter-terror forces arrest ISIS members in coordination with Sulaimani Asayish

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A number of Islamic State (ISIS) militants have been arrested by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS), it announced on Saturday, with two arrests made in coordination with internal security forces (Asayish) in Sulaimani

Two ISIS members were arrested “in coordination with the Asayish of Sulaimani province” it said in a statement. Six arrests were also made in Anbar and Kirkuk. 

There have been numerous arrests of ISIS-linked members across the Kurdistan Region before. In April, Sulaimani’s Asayish announced the arrest of 22 suspected ISIS members in a number of towns across the province.

In March, the ICTS announced that it had arrested six ISIS militants across several provinces, including in Sulaimani.

ISIS continues to operate in Iraq and territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad despite its territorial defeat in Iraq in December 2017, but remnants of the group continue to wage attacks across the country.

Erbil and Baghdad agreed in May to coordinate on security in the disputed areas by forming joint cooperation centers and launching joints operations. Several centers have already been opened.

A suspected ISIS member was arrested in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil in February.

Five suspected militants were arrested in Erbil in April for reportedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks inside the Region.