INSS arrests ISIS member, disrupts attack plan in Tuz Khurmatu

Shafaq News/ Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) captured an ISIS member preparing for a terrorist attack in Tuz Khurmatu, Saladin province.

The INSS announced in a statement that its force arrested a terrorist who intended to carry out an attack against security forces using an improvised explosive device (IED), which he had hidden in a cemetery.

The statement added that based on intelligence information, the suspect was identified as a member of the so-called Kirkuk province of ISIS. His role included providing logistical support, supplying explosive materials, and promoting the terrorist group's activities on social media.

On Thursday, a security source told Shafaq News that Iraqi warplanes destroyed a Toyota vehicle and several ISIS hideouts near Tuz Khurmatu.

Notably, in 2014, ISIS gained prominence after seizing Mosul and declaring a caliphate across vast areas of Iraq and Syria. Although Iraq reclaimed its territory with international and local support by 2017, ISIS has persisted as an underground insurgency.

Operating in rural and disputed regions like Saladin, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Nineveh, the group employs guerrilla tactics, including bombings and ambushes. In response, Iraq conducts counterterrorism efforts such as airstrikes and intelligence-led raids, often collaborating with international partners and local forces like the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

ISIS remains a threat in areas with weak governance and security gaps, exploiting instability and local grievances to maintain its influence.