Thirteen militants arrested in security operation in Kirkuk: Official
Members of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) arrive at the scene of an attack outside warehouses where ballots from the May 12 parliamentary vote were stored in the northern multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk early on July 1, 2018. Marwan Ibrahim / AFP
In remarks to media channels on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Maan al-Saadi said, “troops of the Counter-Terrorism Service, during an operation, managed to arrest a cell composed of 13 militants who had sneaked into Kirkuk. After the arrests, terrorist attacks were carried out last night. We have the photo of one of the perpetrators and will arrest him.”
Intelligence services of CTS and other security services in the province “follow whoever tries to destabilize the security in Kirkuk. The thirteen militants were arrested in accordance with judicial warrants.”
In related news, a security source told AlSumaria News that “the arrested are affiliated to Islamic State and that reaching them would weaken the dormant cells of the group that takes advantage of attacks to affect the security in Kirkuk.”
On Wednesday, three members of Islamic State, including a senior intelligence official, were arrested during a security campaign in southwestern Kirkuk. Up to 14 Islamic State members were killed on Tuesday in a series of airstrikes on northwest of Kirkuk province by the U.S.-led international coalition warplanes,