Two Islamic State leaders arrested, southwest of Kirkuk: Interior Ministry
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected fighter with the Islamic State group during a military operation.
A press release issued by the ministry said “Federal Police forces managed to arrest two Islamic State members in Hawija town, southwest of Kirkuk.”
One of them, according to the ministry, “was involved in terrorist operations, while the other was in charge of providing the militants with food commodities.”
Two people were killed, while a civilian was injured on Saturday in an attack carried out by Islamic State in a village in Hawija.
Last week, Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, chief of Federal Police, said five-member Islamic State cell was arrested in Kirkuk. The week before, the police managed to arrest the militant group’s judge in Tal al-Zahab region, southwest of the 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.