SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi forces detained a senior Islamic State (ISIS) member in Kirkuk province, Iraq’s intelligence agency said on Tuesday.
The Agency of Intelligence and Federal Investigation said its units had detained Abu Talha who was responsible for a “terrorist cell which was active between Kirkuk and Nineveh”.
The agency added that the senior ISIS member had participated in attacks against Peshmerga forces in Bashiqah Mountain, northeast of Mosul city.
He had also participated in the fights against Iraqi security forces in eastern Mosul, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi ministry of interior said the security forces had arrested two ISIS militants in southern Mosul.
The federal government announced victory over Islamic State 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.
