SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Security forces in the Kurdistan Region detained 25 Islamic State (ISIS) facilitators in a raid in Halabja province, U.S.-led Coalition said on Saturday.
“Iraqi Forces recently conducted a raid which captured 25 Daesh training and recruitment facilitators in Halabja,” Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant said in a tweet.
The SOJTF-Levant used an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
On Thursday, the Directorate of Asayish in Sulaimani said its operations forces had detained a group of ISIS militants in Halabja, without giving the number.
The group “intended to carry out terrorist acts in Sulaimani, Halabja and Garmian administration, and to disrupt security of the Kurdistan Region”, it added.
“This operation was aimed at increasing security in the region and reducing Daesh’s ability to plan attacks,” SOJTF-Levant tweeted.
Kurdish forces have detained dozens of ISIS suspects in Kurdistan in the past months.
Earlier this month, Kurdish counter-terrorism forces arrested two “terrorists” in the Kurdistan Region. They confessed that they were involved in “several terrorist acts” in Kirkuk and Hamrin mountains, the counter-terrorism directorate said on December 2.
In September, the Kurdish forces detained a group of seven ISIS militants in Erbil, planning to carry out “terrorist acts” in the city.
In July, the security forces also detained a group of ISIS militants including five suspects who planned to attack the Erbil governorate’s building and places where foreign nationals stay.
The federal government announced victory over ISIS by the end of 2017 after Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led Coalition regained control of areas once captured by the militant group.
Despite its defeat, ISIS still poses a threat to the security and stability of the country as there are still sleeper cells in Iraq.
