Senior Islamic State member arrested in operation in Anbar: Military
Iraqi soldiers hunt for Islamic State militants
A statement by the department said “troops managed in an operation, based on accurate information, to lure one of the militants, known as abul Khayl, along with two of companions to an ambush set up by security forces.”
The forces, “followed the militants in the desert, north of the kilo 160 road in Anbar, and managed to arrest them and destroy their vehicles.”
The militan, according to the statement, “used to be the group’s military official, south of Rutba. He was in charge of planting the bombs on the highway to target security personnel and civilians.”
On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry announced arresting three militants in Anbar province.
Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.
Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.
In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014.