SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdish counter-terrorism forces detained a group of Islamic State (ISIS) militants who planned to carry out “terrorist acts” in Erbil city before Eid al-Adha, the Kurdistan Region’s Security Council said on Tuesday.
The Region’s Security Council released confession footage of the militants, saying the counter-terrorism forces foiled an ISIS plot to attack the building of Erbil governorate in Erbil.
“A group of terrorists was detained who planned to carry out several terrorist acts in Erbil city before Eid al-Adha,” the security council said.
The group including five suspects planned to target the building of Erbil governorate and another place where foreign nationals stay, it added, without giving further details.
The Region’s security council further said the group was reactivated by the “general security of the ISIS terrorist group” in the beginning of this year and was ordered to carry out attacks in Erbil.
“This group started monitoring, taking pictures and planning to carry out the terrorist acts through several suicide bombers on several places including the Erbil governorate’s building,” it said.
Last week, the Region’s security council announced the detention of an ISIS suspect who planned to attack the general directorate of counter-terrorism in Erbil.
“ISIS terrorists planned to target the general directorate of counter-terrorism in Erbil, aiming to free ISIS terrorists and create chaos in Erbil,” the council said.
The suspect confessed in the footage that he had “contacts with ISIS leaders and ISIS caliph had directed him to carry out the act in Erbil”.
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.
*This story was updated at 09:44 p.m. EBL time
