Islamic State leader arrested southwest of Kirkuk

The Iraqi Federal Police announced arresting an Islamic State leader, southwest of Kirkuk.

In a statement on Saturday, the command said “the Federal Police arrested deputy leader of Muqdadiya in the so-called Diyala State. He fled toward Hawija after Diyala was liberated from Islamic State.”

The militant, according to the statement, was arrested in Hawija.

On Friday, the police said three suicide attackers were killed in al-Rashad region, southwest of Kirkuk, as they were planning to carry out a terrorist operation.

On Tuesday, news reports quoted sources saying an Iraqi policeman was killed and two others were injured in clashes with Islamic State militants in western Kirkuk. On the same day, the police killed four members of Islamic State in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk.

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.

In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014.

Source: Iraqi News