Iraqi troops apprehend Islamic State mouthpiece in Mosul
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group in Iraq. File photo
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi authorities announced on Saturday the capture of a prominent Islamic State mouthpiece in the group’s previously-proclaimed capital Mosul.
In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Russia’s Sputnik news agency, the Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate said that its forces arrested a senior IS media person, who was in charge of promoting the terrorist group’s extremist ideology in Mosul city.
The arrestee, according to the statement, “was responsible for convincing citizens to join the terrorist group, using various means such as leaflets, lectures and writings to this end.”
Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.
The campaign was backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition.
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