The CTG said in a statement that the raid was conducted in the Zab subdistrict with Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS), "based on thorough investigation and precise intelligence."
The main suspect, identified only as (M.A.M.), born in 1988, "was successfully arrested," according to the statement. Several family members and "associates" were also detained under Article Four of Iraq’s 2005 Counter-Terrorism Law, which punishes those convicted of terror offenses with death penalty
and sentences individuals aiding them to life imprisonment.According to the CTG, the suspect had carried out "logistical, military, and medical duties" for the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS) and maintained ties with several cells across Qarachogh Mountain, Zab subdistrict, Sargaran, Dibis and Hawija districts, and the Hamrin Mountain range.
"He participated in attacks against Iraqi police and army forces as well as civilians in these areas, and planted mines and improvised bombs on public roads," the CTG statement said, adding that "he has been operating as a sleeper cell in the Zab border area and has carried out several activities."
On Wednesday, a joint force of the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) launched a similar operation targeting an ISIS suspect in western Kirkuk near the Zab river. Authorities did not confirm whether any arrests were made. The operation came three days after Iraq’s Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency announced the arrest of three other suspected ISIS members in Kirkuk.
Kirkuk province in particular has been a hotspot for ISIS activity, lying in a security vacuum exploited by
Despite the threats, Iraqi authorities stress that attacks by ISIS have largely simmered down.