SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdish security forces detained eight Islamic State (ISIS) suspects in Sulaimani province this month, the Kurdistan Region’s intelligence agency said on Thursday.
In a statement, the Protection and Information/Information Agency said its forces had detained two “dangerous ISIS networks” in Sulaimani city and Chamchamal district earlier this month.
The suspects including were detained in three separate operations on July 13, 23 and 25, the agency added.
“One of the group was sleeper cell while the other was making preparations to carry out explosions in the Kurdistan Region,” it stated.
The suspects detained in Chamchamal were named as Ali Mohammed Ali, known as Abu Anas who was ISIS emir in the so-called Mosul state, Mohammed Hussein whose job was to prepare improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and Jumaa Jassim Mohamed, one of the “dangerous ISIS terrorists”, according to the statement.
Ahmed Omer Zedan known as Abu Hamdi was another suspect, who was the head of the group in Chamchamal, the agency further said.
Abdulkareem Ahmed Omer who was an “expert in using snipers” and Firas Ejaj who carried out “many terrorist acts” against civilians and the Iraqi security forces were two other members of the group in Chamchamal, it added.
The other two suspects, Raad Salim Ahmed who was ISIS emir, and Omer Jassim Mohammed who was a member of the sleeper cell, were detained in Sulaimani city on July 13 and 23, according to the agency.
The announcement came one day after the Asayish agency said its forces had detained two ISIS leaders and three members during four “big operations” in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces.
The agency said the group had planned to carry out “terrorist acts” in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces.
*This story was updated at 12:43 a.m. (EBL time) on Friday
