Iraq arrests suspects tied to covert ISIS support network

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service announced the arrest of several individuals involved in a covert network that provided financial and logistical support to remnants of ISIS. The arrests followed a coordinated intelligence operation across four governorates.

The agency said its units in Kirkuk and Anbar tracked a hidden funding operation led by a woman from Fallujah, who was arrested under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law. She was allegedly responsible for distributing money and stipends inside Al-Jadaa and Al-Hol camps, creating a channel of support to families and individuals connected to ISIS.

Al-Jadaa camp, located south of Mosul in Nineveh governorate, serves as a rehabilitation and integration center for hundreds of returning Iraqi families—mostly women and children—repatriated from Syria’s al-Hol camp, where overcrowded, unsanitary conditions and limited services are widely criticized. Al-Hol, under Kurdish-led SDF control in al-Hasakah governorate, houses tens of thousands of displaced families, particularly relatives of ISIS, often living in makeshift tents.

Another arrest was made in Nineveh, where the agency’s branches in Diyala and Nineveh coordinated a three-day field investigation that led to the capture of a man known as “Abu Omar al-Qurashi.” Authorities said he had received prior training in security and technical matters and was involved in limited recruitment efforts targeting youth. A warrant for his arrest had already been issued by the judiciary.

The investigation revealed a network of roles and connections used by individuals to maintain ties with ISIS. The agency said its units continue to carry out preventive operations to detect suspicious activity and stop the group’s remnants from regrouping.