Sulaimani security hands over nine ISIS terror suspects to Kirkuk authorities

In yet another indication that radicalism and violence remains a constant threat, nine people were arrested on Friday in the Kurdistan Region after being suspected of being members of the ISIS extremist group.

Iraqi Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul, the spokesperson of the Joint Operations Command, tweeted on Tuesday that “a group of ISIS militants” arrested in Sulaimani Province was handed over to authorities in Kirkuk.

Rasoul added that the arrests were initially made in coordination between them and Sulaimani security forces and “after precise intelligence information.”

The group is believed to have been involved in many crimes against civilians in Kirkuk including killing and forcibly displacing people from their homes and carrying out attacks against security forces.

The Iraqi official said those arrested were ISIS militants who had fled to the Kurdistan Region.

Security officials in Sulaimani were not immediately available for comment.

ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq by the former prime minister in December 2017. Despite the proclamation, sleeper cells have continued to operate, particularly in areas between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces.

Kurdish security and military officials are warning that pre-2014 conditions exist in these areas and could lead to a resurgence by the extremists.

Source: Rudaw