Iraqi police apprehend three Islamic State militants in Kikruk
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) – Federal police arrested on Saturday three Islamic State militants in the oil-rich Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a police chief said.
The trio were arrested in different security operations in Hawija district in Kirkuk with two of them possessing explosive materials, a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a motorbike, Iraqi website Ayn Al Iraq quoted Commander of the Iraqi Federal Police Raed Shaker Jawdat as saying.
One of them admitted supplying the terrorist group with foodstuffs, Jawdat added.
Last year, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that Iraqi troops recaptured Hawija, a main town held by Islamic State in the country.
The town had fallen to IS in June 2014, when the militant group seized control of much of northern and western Iraq and proclaimed the creation of a self-styled “caliphate”. There, Islamic State’s reign forced thousands to flee to refugee camps, while hundreds had been executed by the group for attempting to escape the area or contacting security forces.
The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city. Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.