Terrorism suspect arrested in Diyala’s Miqdadiyah

DIYALA — Security forces arrested a terrorism suspect in Miqdadiyah district in northeastern Diyala on Sunday, the Diyala Police Command said.

The operation involved the Sixth Emergency Regiment, the Miqdadiyah police station and the district’s intelligence and counterterrorism office, and followed intelligence gathering and surveillance, police said. The suspect was wanted under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which carries the death penalty, and has been referred for investigation. The statement did not name him or say which group he belonged to.

Iraq’s Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency said Thursday it had arrested a “dangerous” terrorism suspect in Erbil in an operation coordinated with Kurdistan Region security authorities.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi formally declared the end of the coalition’s mission on Sept. 30, saying Iraq now takes full responsibility for its security, and the last U.S. and coalition forces left Erbil Air Base that day. He has since ordered higher readiness and stepped-up intelligence work across the security forces, said Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief. “After 12 years of joint work to confront terrorism, the need for the international coalition forces to remain has ended, beginning a new phase of bilateral cooperation between Iraq and coalition countries on the basis of mutual respect,” Numan said. Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said last month that Iraqi and Kurdistan Region forces “can be relied upon to fill that vacuum” and urged Baghdad to build bilateral ties with coalition members.

The Islamic State group seized large parts of northern and western Iraq in 2014 and was territorially defeated in 2017, and has since operated through sleeper cells and small units, particularly in desert and rural areas.