Members of Iraq's security forces
Iraq’s National Security Service reports arrests of 16 terrorism suspects in January
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service said Saturday it arrested 16 people on terrorism charges during operations carried out this month.
The operations were conducted across multiple governorates, the statement said.
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.
Early this month, Syrian government forces and allied Islamist militias launched a coordinated offensive against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria, including Rojava, triggering renewed instability and humanitarian concerns.
The fighting has intensified international concern over detention facilities and camps holding thousands of Islamic State detainees and their families. Clashes near several sites have led to reported escapes, raising fears that deteriorating security conditions could allow ISIS to regroup.
U.S. Central Command has begun transferring detainees to Iraq, starting with 150 individuals, with plans to relocate up to 7,000.
National Security Service in Anbar arrested a suspected suicide bomber on Tuesday in a preemptive operation that prevented a potential attack.
Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Friday it has deployed seven layers of border barriers and surveillance systems along the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, asserting there are no security gaps and that the entire border is under constant monitoring.