ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq's Directorate of General Security on Wednesday announced the arrest of an Islamic State (ISIS) member who was in charge of the group’s transportations in Kirkuk.

The directorate, "in cooperation with Sulaimani's Counter-Terrorism Service, was able to arrest a dangerous terrorist element in Kirkuk province," read a statement on Wednesday by the Directorate.

The suspect was considered the "main transporter for ISIS terrorist gangs between Daquq District and Kirkuk," the statement detailed, adding that he was one of the most prominent targets of the directorate.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, ISIS remains a threat to Iraqi security through hit-and-run operations and sleeper cells dispersed across the region, especially in provinces like Kirkuk, Anbar, and Nineveh, where ISIS cells remain active.

The Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency announced earlier in April the arrest of four suspected ISIS members in Salahaddin, including one of the group's top leaders in the province. 

Prior to that, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani announced in mid-March the killing of the ISIS' Deputy Caliph and so-called “Wali of Iraq and Syria" in an operation with the US-led coalition forces.

Iraq has increasingly been putting more and more efforts into eliminating these remnants after deciding the war in 2017, security forces arrested over 500 terror suspects in 2024, according to data from the Iraqi National Security Service.