SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi forces foiled a “terrorist plot” that targeted Kirkuk governorate, said the Iraqi security service on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Iraqi National Security Service said it had received intelligence about the presence of “terrorist cells” intending to attack Kirkuk governorate.
The security service further said its units carried out an operation to detain the suspects and seize weapons and explosives.
“The operation resulted in the arrest of two terrorists wanted in accordance with Article 4 of [anti-terrorism law],” the Iraqi national security service stated.
“They work as intelligence agents for Islamic State and collect information on the movements of the security forces in the province,” it said.
Recently, Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts to detain ISIS militants in the provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin, Nineveh, Anbar and Baghdad. The security forces have detained and killed dozens of ISIS members in the past weeks.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
