6 prominent IS members arrested in N. Iraq: military

BAGHDAD, Nov. 21– The Iraqi force has arrested six “prominent members” of the Islamic State militants and eradicated four IS hideouts in the country’s northern province of Kirkuk, the military announced on Monday. The IS members, active in the north of Baghdad and Anbar Province in western Iraq, were arrested in a joint operation by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism…

BAGHDAD, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) — The Iraqi force has arrested six “prominent members” of the Islamic State (IS) militants and eradicated four IS hideouts in the country’s northern province of Kirkuk, the military announced on Monday.

The IS members, active in the north of Baghdad and Anbar Province in western Iraq, were arrested in a joint operation by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service and security service Asayish from the country’s Kurdish region, Iraqi forces commander-in-chief’s spokesperson Yahia Rasoul said in a statement.

Rasoul didn’t share details about the location and time for the arrest.

Separately, acting on intelligence reports from the Iraqi interior ministry, the Iraqi Air Force on Monday launched airstrikes targeting the IS militants, destroying four of their hideouts in Kirkuk, tweeted the Security Media Cell affiliated with Iraq’s armed forces.

Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since sneaked into urban centers, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem