Two Iraqi employees arrested over links with Islamic State in Mosul
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected member of the Islamic State group
Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Federal police forces in Iraq arrested on Tuesday two employees believed to have links with militant group Islamic State in Mosul city.
“Two employees, including an electric engineer, believed to be members of Islamic State were arrested Monday while on duty at a power plant at Qayyarah district in southern Mosul city,” a police officer told Shafaq News website.
“The arrest was made pursuant to article no. 4 of the anti-terrorism law,” the officer said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced last July the 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.
Islamic State declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. However, Iraqi forces managed to eliminate Islamic State cells in December last year with the help of a US-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, isolated cells believed to be linked to the Islamic State group remain active in some parts of the country. In recent weeks, suspected Islamic State insurgents have carried out several attacks targeting security forces in the areas north-west of Kirkuk.