Iraqi security forces have successfully eliminated a destructive terrorist plot and apprehended several ISIS associates in Kirkuk province. As reported by Shafaq News, the representative for the Iraqi National Security Service, Arshad Al-Hakim, noted in a video message that the terrorist plot sought to target government areas and security figures to destabilize the province.
According to the spokesperson of Iraqi authorities:
“In coordination with the General Directorate of Operations of the Asayish in al-Sulaymaniyah, the National Security Directorate in Kirkuk dismantled a network affiliated with ISIS. The group consisted of seven members, including the so-called Emir of the Kurdistan Sector, Azad Al-Shafai,”
he said.
Al-Hakim also described:
“The location of this network was identified, and during a raid, an armed clash ensued, leading to one of the terrorists committing suicide after being surrounded. The operation uncovered ISIS membership forms, internal correspondence, extremist literature, electronic devices, military gear, and a drone.”
He also stated that the number of arrested terrorist components in Kirkuk has advanced to 50, who have been sentenced to death and life imprisonment.
Despite its territorial collapse in 2017, ISIS maintains a substantial presence in Iraq through sleeper cells that employ guerrilla warfare, assassinations, abductions, and extortion to destabilize the area. They integrate into local populations, making them difficult to detect. Since the start of 2024, Iraqi forces have ramped up counter-terrorism procedures across several provinces, including Saladin, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Al-Anbar. These actions have led to the collapse of numerous hideouts, the capture of ISIS members, and the killing of several high-ranking leaders.
Iraqi military officials verified to Shafaq News that ISIS is no longer competent in leading large-scale operations, but remote elements are manipulating security gaps to reestablish a sight in the region.
