Female IS fighter wanted for killings among 15 militants arrested in Mosul: Police

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A police official announced the arrest of 15 suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) in Mosul on Wednesday, including a female involved in the killing of multiple women while the city was controlled by the group.

“15 IS militants, including a female leader, were arrested today in a security campaign at al-Zahraa district in Mosul’s eastern side,” Nineveh police official Brig. Gen. Hamad al-Jabouri told the press, shortly after the operation.

“Among those arrested in the campaign is a female fighter, identified as Zarka bint Nafea, who was found to have been involved in killing many women in Mosul.”

Also on Wednesday, another security official announced that the 20th Brigade of the Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate discovered and secured multiple tunnels in Mosul's southern neighborhood of Hamam al-Alil district thought to have been used by IS as a location to medically treat fellow members wounded in battle.

Much of Mosul was destroyed as the former IS stronghold was liberated by Iraqi security forces in late 2017.

In recent months, IS insurgent activities in the form of shootings, bombings, and kidnappings have increased in Nineveh province, as well as others like Anbar and Kirkuk. The tactics used by the extremist group are reminiscent of methods adopted when they first emerged in Iraq and Syria.