Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, in a statement issued on 20 Dec 2024, said that the security forces have arrested seven Islamic State (IS) militants in the northern region of Kirkuk.

As Xinhua reported, the Iraqi Defense Ministry claimed that following the implementation of the guidelines issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to make the intelligence activities stronger by uprooting terrorism and its roots, the Military Intelligence Directorate undertook several operations that resulted in the arrest of seven wanted IS terrorists by the Iraqi judiciary. “One of the IS militants was a major transporter of personnel equipment, weapons, and logistical supplies,” it stated, adding that these were given to relevant authorities.

In Oct 2024, Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) reported that it had conducted several raids leading to the detention of terrorists and the collapse of multiple shelters across different parts of the country. In a remark, CTS described that, in collaboration with the Kurdistan Region’s Asayish Operations Directorate, two terrorists were arrested in the Al-Sulaymaniyah governorate. 

The security crisis in Iraq has improved since the collapse of the IS in 2017. However, IS remains have sneaked into urban camps, deserts, and wild areas, carrying out regular guerrilla raids against security forces and civilians. Iraq continued to cooperate with international and regional organizations such as the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the United Nations, NATO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, INTERPOL, and the League of Arab States in supporting measures against terrorism.

Iraqi counterterrorism operations are primarily carried out by the Counterterrorism Service, a Cabinet-level body reporting directly to the prime minister, as well as by other security forces under the Ministries of Defense and Interior