Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service arrests 10 ISIS suspects in sweep spanning multiple governorates

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service announced Thursday the arrest of 10 suspected Islamic State members during coordinated operations across several governorates, including Anbar, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Sulaymaniyah.

The operations also led to the destruction of six ISIS hideouts in the deserts of Rawa and south of Rutba in Anbar province.

“The heroes of the Counter-Terrorism Service continue their relentless efforts to pursue the remnants of terrorist ISIS and dry up their sources,” the service said in a statement.

Four suspects were arrested in Diyala, Salah al-Din, Nineveh, and Kirkuk—one in each province. Three others were detained in two separate operations in Anbar, while two more were captured in unspecified locations. Another suspect was arrested in Sulaymaniyah in coordination with the General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism.

The service confirmed that six hideouts belonging to ISIS were destroyed during raids in the Anbar desert, reiterating its commitment to “eliminating terrorist remnants wherever they are found.”

Though ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, remnants of the group remain active in remote areas. Iraqi forces continue to conduct operations targeting these residual cells. The militant group, which declared a caliphate in 2014, lost its final stronghold in Syria in 2019.