Separate operations

Counter-terrorism service uncovers ISIS hideout in Anbar, arrests suspected member in Kirkuk

NEWSROOM — Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service announced on Monday that its forces uncovered an Islamic State group hideout containing explosive materials in Anbar governorate during a “precise intelligence operation”.

In a separate mission, the service apprehended a suspected ISIS member in Kirkuk.

“The specialized operations of our heroic forces are ongoing, with intensified efforts to eliminate all remnants of ISIS gangs,” a statement read.

The Islamic State took control of major cities like Mosul and Tikrit and declared a “caliphate” in its 2014 rampage across Iraq. Known for extreme violence and targeting minorities, the group was militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 by Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and a U.S.-led international coalition.

However, ISIS remnants persist as an insurgent force, conducting periodic attacks from remote areas.

On New Year’s Eve, the Counter-Terrorism Service announced a large-scale operation in the Hamrin mountain range, Kirkuk, during which seven ISIS militants were killed, and over 20 hideouts and tunnels were destroyed.

On the same day, the service also confirmed the death of one of its members, who was killed during clashes with ISIS militants in the same area.