Kurdish security arrests 25 IS suspects in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Kirkuk police on Thursday launched an operation to detain suspected and wanted Islamic State (IS) members in the governorate, arresting 25.

The Kurdistan Region security forces, known as Asayish, and the local police in Kirkuk often carry out raids as preemptive measures against IS sleeper cells.

Brigadier General Sarhad Qadir, the Kirkuk Suburban Police Chief, told Kurdistan 24 the Kurdish security forces, in collaboration with local security, carried out a raid in the Bajwan village in the district of Dibs, north west of Kirkuk.

Qadir revealed 25 IS suspects, who were organizing sleeper cells for the extremist group in the Kirkuk Province, were arrested during the operation.

“Ten of the arrested people are wanted in a Kirkuk court in accordance with article four of the Iraqi Anti-Terror Law,” Qadir told Kurdistan 24.

In June, Asayish in Kirkuk launched a campaign involving 20 neighborhoods in southern Kirkuk where police arrested over 39 suspects, nine of whom were IS members.

Kirkuk is home to over half a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have fled the threat of the militant group from neighboring provinces.

Kirkuk security officials frequently warn that IS members often try to sneak into the province by hiding among the IDPs.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich province located in the south of the Kurdistan Region.

Although Kurds make up the majority of the population there, the province is home to different ethnic and religious groups including Turkmen, Arabs, and Christians.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany