32 Islamic State group suspects arrested in Iraqi military ambushes

Over thirty people suspected of having links to the Islamic State group have been arrested in five provinces of Iraq.

2 min read

14 January, 2023

The Iraqi military continues to pursue IS sleeper cells carrying out attacks in the country [Getty/archive]

Iraqi authorities said on Saturday that they ambushed Islamic State (IS) group members, detaining dozens across several provinces which have recently seen a spike in militant activity.

The Iraqi National Security Service said in a statement that 32 suspects were detained after security operations in five governorates, including Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala and around the capital Baghdad.

It added that they were transferred to relevant authorities.

في عصابات د1عش ممن نشطوا في محافظات (الأنبار، ونينوى، وكركوك، وديالى، وبغداد)
جاء ذلك بعد نصب كمائن محكمة وتنفيذ مذكرات قبض قضائية أفضت إلى الإطاحة بالمتهمين، وقد جرى تدوين أقوالهم أصولياً وإحالتهم إلى الجهات المختصة لاتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة بحقهم.
— جهاز الأمن الوطني العراقي (@Inss131) January 14, 2023

Iraq’s military intelligence also said on Saturday that it captured a top female official in IS's Diwan al-Hisbah (morality police) unit near the town of Al-Hawija.

Earlier this week, the Kurdistan Region Security Council announced that authorities had thwarted a series of plans by IS to carry out bombings and terrorist operations before the new year in Erbil, where attacks are rare.

Several Iraqi soldiers, policemen and civilians have been killed in recent months in a string of attacks claimed by the extremists.

The US military said last month that the Islamic State group had an 'army' of fighters held at detention facilities in Iraq and Syria, both countries IS continues to wage a low-level insurgency in despite being territorially defeated years ago.