Iraq says thwarted ‘terrorist’ plot ahead of upcoming Eid

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s intelligence directorate on Monday said they had “dismantled” an alleged terrorist cell in Anbar province that was plotting attacks on the upcoming Eid al-Adha holidays in the same area.

The directorate, which is part of the defense ministry, said in a collaborative effort between different security forces detachments, they “penetrated and dismantled a terrorist cell and arrested the five masterminds in the Jazeera area of ​​Ramadi in Anbar.”

The group was “planning to carry out terrorist operations in the province on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.”

The statement added that all cell members were wanted individuals in accordance with the provisions of article 4 of Iraq’s anti-terrorism law.

The announcement comes on the same day the country’s interior ministry said they had arrested five members of the so-called Islamic State in Mosul, claiming they were part of the terrorist organization’s “Soldiers’ Bureau.”

Iraqi forces occasionally arrest members of the terror group in the liberated areas of the country the Islamic State had previously occupied.

Iraq declared a military victory against the Islamic State in late 2017, but the group continues to launch insurgency attacks, ambushes, and kidnappings in the country. Officials from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have repeatedly warned of a possible resurgence of the terrorist group in the country.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany