ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi security forces on Saturday announced arresting four suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS), in operations carried out in coordination with the Kurdistan Region's local security forces (Asayish).

The suspects were “moving around with forged identification documents to facilitate their movements and avoid security surveillance,” according to a statement from the Iraqi National Security Service, which did not disclose the time and location of the operation.

Two of the suspects had allegedly worked for ISIS’s “military development and manufacturing authority” in the group’s so-called Anbar Wilayat (state) and were specialized in manufacturing Katyusha rockets. The other two members belonged to the Nineveh and Dijlah Wilayats.

The suspected were wanted in accordance with Article 4 of the Iraqi Anti-Terrorism Law, and have been handed to judicial authorities, according to the statement.

The Article mandates the death sentence for anyone who participates in committing a “terrorist act,” as defined by the law, and life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of intentionally concealing a “terrorist deed” or sheltering suspected “terrorists.”

Iraqi security forces arrested over 500 terror suspects in 2024, according to data from the Iraqi National Security Service.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, ISIS militants continue to pose a security threat in Iraq through hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants, especially in provinces like Kirkuk, Anbar, and Nineveh, where ISIS cells remain active.

In November, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani reiterated support for the security forces in their pursuit of ISIS remnants, stressing that “there is no place for terrorists in Iraq” and that armed forces will continue their operations until the country is “cleansed” from ISIS.