Two suspected ISIS members arrested in operations across Sulaymaniyah, Salah al-Din

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Counterterrorism Service on Friday announced the arrest of two suspected ISIS members, both of whom are alleged to have held military roles within the group’s Kirkuk and Fallujah branches, during operations in Sulaymaniyah and Salah Al-Din governorates.

The coordinated missions, conducted with the Kurdistan Region’s Asayish Operations Directorate and the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, also destroyed several ISIS hideouts believed to have been used for logistical purposes.

“Based on precise intelligence, and in cooperation with the Kurdistan Region’s Asayish Operations Directorate, our heroes managed to arrest a terrorist in Sulaymaniyah governorate who served in a military role within what is known as the Fallujah branch,” the Counterterrorism Service said in a statement.

It added, “Our brave personnel also arrested another terrorist in Salah Al-Din governorate, who held a military position within the so-called Kirkuk branch, in coordination with the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency.”

Additional reconnaissance missions led to the destruction of four hideouts, a tunnel, and a cave along the Kirkuk-Salah Al-Din border, including the Hamrin mountain range and Jazirat Al-Hadar.

Although Iraq declared military victory over the Islamic State in 2017, the group continues to maintain sleeper cells. Iraqi security forces have intensified intelligence-driven operations to root out these remnants, often in conjunction with international partners.

In March 2025, Iraqi and U.S. forces launched a targeted airstrike in Al Anbar province, killing Abdallah Maki Mosleh Al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija, who headed ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani called him “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”