Military intelligence arrests two on terrorism charges in Baghdad, Salah al-Din

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate said Thursday it arrested two individuals on terrorism charges in separate operations in northern Baghdad and Salah al-Din governorate.

In a statement, the directorate said intelligence and security units from the 6th and 21st Infantry Divisions carried out the arrests based on what it described as “accurate intelligence” as part of ongoing efforts to pursue wanted suspects.

The two men were subject to prior arrest warrants under Article 1/4 of Iraq’s anti-terrorism law, the statement said. They were handed over to the relevant authorities to complete legal procedures.

The directorate said it will continue operations to “eliminate the remaining terrorists and dismantle their networks to safeguard the country’s security.”

Iraq has faced waves of militant violence over the past two decades. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, armed groups including al-Qaeda in Iraq carried out bombings and assassinations. In 2014, the Islamic State group seized large areas of Iraq, including Mosul, before losing territorial control by late 2017 following a military campaign by Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga backed by a U.S.-led coalition.

Despite the collapse of the group’s self-declared caliphate, Iraqi authorities say ISIS remnants continue to operate in rural and border areas through sleeper cells and sporadic attacks.

In late December 2025, Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service said it arrested five suspected Islamic State members in operations across Kirkuk, Anbar and Nineveh governorates.