Pentagon congratulates Iraq on capture of top Islamic State figure

The Pentagon on Tuesday congratulated Iraq on the arrest of a top ISIS leader, adding that the terrorist group remains a threat.

“The United States congratulates Iraq on the arrest of Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jauri, one of ISIS’s most senior leaders,” Pentagon Spokesperson Commander Jessica McNulty said in a statement.

Iraq said on Monday that its security forces had captured Jasim during a special operation outside of its borders. Turkey reportedly helped capture the terrorist, who was flown from Turkey to Iraq.

Jasim was one of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s top deputies.

“While we are not commenting on any specific operation, we applaud our brave Iraqi partners who regularly conduct destructive blows to the remnants of ISIS,” McNulty said, adding that she was not aware of any US Defense Department involvement.

“ISIS remains a significant threat to the Iraqi population, and the United States and Coalition will remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and continue to support Iraq’s efforts to prevent a resurgence of any residual ISIS element,” the Pentagon official said.

Source: Al Arabiya