SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said on Monday its units rescued one of the farmers kidnapped by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in south of Kirkuk.
ISIS militants kidnapped three farmers in the village of al-Hliwa in Tuz Khurmatu district in Saladin province on Sunday.
Hashid al-Shaabi, or the PMF, said in a statement that a unit from the group’s intelligence forces rescued one of the farmers in the province.
A security source told National Iraqi News Agency that the PMF units launched a “preemptive operation” to rescue the farmer and that searches were ongoing to find out the other kidnapped farmers.
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.
