Iraqi Forces Capture Prominent ISIS Leader in Kirkuk
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Iraqi forces announced on Saturday the capture of a high-ranking leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), known as the “Emir of the Kurdistan Sector,” in Kirkuk Governorate, northern Iraq.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that they had thwarted “a dangerous terrorist plot in Kirkuk Governorate.”
He stated that the plot aimed “to target government sites and officials, aiming to destabilize the security of the governorate.”
The spokesperson further explained that the INSS, in coordination with the General Directorate of the Asayish Service in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah region, dismantled an ISIS cell composed of seven militants.
Among those apprehended was the so-called “Emir of the Kurdistan Sector” in ISIS, identified as Azad Shakhi.
The statement noted that one of the militants committed suicide when surrounded during the raid.
The Iraqi forces seized “communication devices, materials promoting takfiri ideology, equipment, and a drone,” according to the spokesperson.
On Nov. 19, Iraqi authorities also reported the arrest of six suspects linked to terrorism, drug and arms trafficking, and kidnapping in operations across Baghdad and Karbala.