SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi intelligence service said on Thursday a senior Islamic State (ISIS) member had been detained in Erbil.
The Iraqi Intelligence Service said in a statement that Bashar al-Adwani, head of ISIS snipers, was arrested in Erbil, without providing further details.
“Adwani was one of the ISIS leaders and he supervised several acts in southern Iraq,” the agency said.
The intelligence agency added that it had followed Adwani and tracked his movements between Fallujah, Hit and Nineveh for over three months before he was arrested in an operation in Erbil.
Shafaaq News cited a security source as saying that the ISIS member was detained in coordination with Kurdish forces in Erbil.
“Adwani is considered as one of the most dangerous wanted persons by the Iraqi intelligence,” a security source told Shafaaq news.
Recently, Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts to detain ISIS militants in the provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin, Nineveh, Anbar and Baghdad.
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.
