Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has dismantled four ISIS-linked cells in security operations carried out in early 2026, the country’s Ministry of Interior reported on Wednesday, noting that the group is increasingly exploiting social media and online gaming platforms to recruit young people.

In a press conference, Ministry Spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadli outlined a broad nationwide security campaign, pointing out that the Intelligence and Investigations Directorate issued 479 arrest warrants under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, alongside roughly 80 preemptive operations.

Security forces detained 22 suspects in kidnapping cases and 173 individuals linked to what al-Bahadli described as “tribal daka” extortion activities. Authorities also seized 732 antiquities prepared for smuggling and held 10 people accused of impersonating official positions.

Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, it continues operating as an insurgent network across desert and rural regions, including Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. Earlier this year, the Counter Terrorism Service carried out what sources stated was a large-scale operation in Saladin’s Hamrin mountain range, capturing a senior ISIS figure linked to the group’s so-called “Bayt al-Mal” (treasury).

Read more: On ISIS defeat anniversary, Iraq confronts a reawakening insurgency