Kurdistan Region Security Council announces arrest of ISIS emir Abu Lili

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) on Saturday announced the arrest of an ISIS emir, who has allegedly been involved in several terrorist acts.

Zidan Khalifa Ahmed Matar, known as Abu Lili, was arrested on Sept. 6. The KRSC did not reveal his capture location.

During his tenure as the emir of Sa'd bin Waqas, Abu Lili was active in the villages of Abushita and Kushaf, as well as the mountain of Qarachogh. He is suspected of orchestrating civilian assassinations and kidnappings.

Abu Lili joined ISIS in 2014 and was a fighter in the al-Shirqat district of Saladin province. He fought in major battles against Peshmerga forces in the Makhmour district and Qaraj area.  

Makhmour lies within the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad, which has seen growing ISIS attacks due to a lack of security cooperation between the forces.

Close to Erbil, the area was temporarily occupied by ISIS in the summer of 2014 before the extremists were ousted by Kurdish Peshmerga forces, with the support of coalition partners.

The terror group occupied approximately one-third of Iraq for nearly three years, including its second-largest city Mosul.

Despite its territorial defeat in 2017, ISIS still launches low-level insurgency against both security and civilian targets, particularly in the areas disputed by both Baghdad and Erbil.