SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Five Islamic State (ISIS) suspects were detained in coordination with the Kurdish forces in Erbil, an Iraqi military spokesman said on Tuesday.
“The counter-terrorism service, in coordination with Erbil Asayish, was able to arrest five terrorists belonging to ISIS,” Yehia Rasool, spokesman for commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said in a tweet.
Rasool said the arrests came after Iraqi counter-terrorism chief paid a visit to Erbil governorate.
Iraqi security services have increased coordination with the security forces in the Kurdistan Region to detain suspects, including Islamic State (ISIS) members.
On Sunday, Rasool said a wanted “gang member” was arrested in coordination with the Kurdish forces in Sulaimani.
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.
