Iraq reveals number of ISIS militants on its soil
ERBIL, KRI, IRAQ (North press) – Iraq’s Joint Operations Command revealed on Thursday the number of militants of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) on Iraqi soil, saying they spread in “four to five areas in the country.”
Spokesperson for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, said in a statement made to Iraqi official media “The number of ISIS militants in Iraq is very low, there are less than 1.000 ones, mostly locals.”
Al-Khafaji noted these militants spread onto four to five areas.
Iraq’s Joint Operations Command has taken important measures to control the border, and they are ready for any emergencies that could develop at the border, according to al-Khafaji.
On Wednesday, the command said there is cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) via the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in sharing intelligence information to pursue militants of the group, preventing them from sneaking in order to arrest them.
Periodically, a number of Iraqi areas, notably in central Iraq, witness operations to pursue ISIS sleeper cells that carry out sporadic operations against security forces and locals.