Iraqi army forces apprehend Islamic State executioner in Kirkuk

Iraqi security forces have arrested a senior Islamic State member in charge of executions in Kirkuk province, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry was quoted saying on Wednesday.

Shafaq News quoted Maj. Gen. Saad Maan as saying that security forces, using intelligence information, have arrested the Islamic State executioner in al-Wasti district in Kirkuk.

The terrorist carried out several executions while serving in the so-called Kirkuk organization of Islamic State, Maan added.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.

Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.

Source: Iraqi News