Iraqi troops arrest last Islamic State governor in Mosul city

Iraqi security forces on Wednesday arrested the last Islamic State Wali (governor) in Mosul city along with his two brothers.

“Saleb al-Eslahi and his two brothers, Ahmed and Suleiman, were nabbed at a village in Mosul with fake IDs in their possession,” semi-official newspaper al-Sabah quoted police officer Eyad Ramzy from Nineveh as saying.

“The trio was referred to the bodies concerned for interrogation,” Ramzy added.

The troops also found huge amounts of explosive materials and weapons of IS militants west of Mosul, he pointed out.

“The explosive materials were estimated at 90 tons,” Ramzy said, adding that they were buried under the ground at Ayn al-Jahesh village in Mosul.

On Tuesday, a curfew was imposed in four districts in Mosul city in search of criminals.

“Federal police cordoned off the districts of al-Matahen, al-Yarmouk, al- Tenek and al-Yabsat and prevented residents from entering or leaving the districts,” a source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Shafaq News.

Police forces launched a manhunt for criminals, who are wanted on terror charges, the source said, adding that the Iraqi Air Forces are taking part in the security campaign.

Despite declaring victory over Islamic State in Mosul, the group’s former bastion in Iraq, observers say IS group is believed to constitute a security threat even after its defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared, in July, victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign.

Government forces, backed by paramilitary troops and the US-led international coalition, have been fighting, since October 2016, the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.

The war against IS has so far displaced at least five million people. Thousands others fled towards neighboring countries including Syria, Turkey and other European countries, since IS emerged to proclaim its self-styled “caliphate”.

Source: Iraqi News