7 Islamic State terrorists fleeing Syria arrested in Iraq
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group in Iraq. File photo
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi intelligence troops have arrested seven Islamic State terrorists after storming their hotbed in the militant group’s previously-proclaimed capital city of Mosul.
“The militants were arrested in Rabia district, west of Mosul, with fake IDs in their possession as they just returned from Syria,” SNG News quoted the Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate as saying in a press statement on Sunday.
“Four of the arrestees were senior members of Islamic State’s so-called Jund (soldiers) Diwan,” the directorate said, adding that the arrests were made pursuant to article no. 4 of the anti-terrorism law.
Iraqi authorities regularly announce the capture of Islamic State extremists in different parts in the country since the collapse of the group’s territorial influence in the country in December 2017.
The anti-terrorism law in Iraq empowers courts to convict people who are believed to have helped jihadists even if they are not accused of carrying out attacks.
The exact number of detained IS militants in the country is unknown, however, it’s estimated to be at thousands.
Despite defeat in Iraq in late 2017, many IS remnants remain at large in the hideouts of the Arab country.