Iraqi Forces Detain ISIS Key Commander in Kirkuk

On Saturday, spokesman for the Commander in Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, announced the arrest of a prominent commander of ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group, in an airborne operation in the north of the country.

In a statement, Rasool said that a special force unit affiliated to Counter-Terrorism Service arrested a prominent ISIS commander in the Zghitoun Valley, southwest of Kirkuk province.

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service said in a tweet on Friday that its forces detained 37 ISIS members during 32 raids in September.

Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts to detain ISIS militants in the provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin, Anbar and Baghdad. On Oct. 7, the intelligence agency said its units had detained ISIS mufti of Rashad district in the so-called Kirkuk state. On September 22, Iraqi forces detained head of ISIS sleeper cell in Makhmour district, southwest of Erbil.

Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces - an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.

The Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the group.

On Oct. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that “just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot – Now he is also Dead!”

The ISIS confirmed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S. raid, according to the group’s news agency Amaq.