Iraqi Intelligence Arrests Three ISIS Operatives in Salah al-Din
Salah Al-Din
Iraqi intelligence arrests three ISIS operatives linked to military wing
SALAH AL-DIN — The Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency conducted a security operation in Salah Al-Din, arresting three individuals linked to the Islamic State’s military wing, according to a statement from the agency.
Based on precise intelligence and field surveillance, counterterrorism units carried out the operation and secured the suspects. Authorities confirmed that the suspects’ confessions were documented and have been referred to the judiciary for legal proceedings. “During the investigation, they openly admitted to carrying out multiple terrorist operations in the governorate, including previous attacks on security forces and serving as informants for the defeated ISIS organization,” the statement read.
This operation comes as Iraqi security forces intensify their efforts to eliminate ISIS militants nationwide. In a separate recent operation, an airstrike on Jan. 31 along the Salah al-Din–Kirkuk border led to the discovery of seven alleged ISIS militant bodies in the Al-Zarka area.
In addition, on Jan. 11, 2025, Iraqi security forces announced the discovery of six bodies belonging to ISIS members—including the so-called “deputy governor of Kirkuk”—following a series of airstrikes by Iraqi F-16 fighter jets that targeted a key ISIS hideout in the Hamrin mountain range of Hawija district, Kirkuk governorate.
ISIS, which emerged in 2014 after seizing major cities such as Mosul and Tikrit and declaring a “caliphate,” is known for its extreme violence and attacks on minority communities. Although militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 through the efforts of Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and a U.S.-led coalition, remnants of the group continue to operate as an insurgency from remote areas.
Recent incidents underscore the persistent threat posed by the group. In October 2024, an ISIS ambush near Kirkuk claimed the lives of four Iraqi soldiers and wounded three others, while Iraqi warplanes targeted suspected ISIS hideouts in contested zones, reportedly killing six militants. In the same month, a joint operation between U.S. and Iraqi forces resulted in the death of ISIS leader Jassim Al-Mazroui Abu Abdul Qader along with eight senior leaders in the Hamrin Mountains.