ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Sulaimani-based Kurdish security forces (Asayish) late Sunday announced the arrest of three suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Sulaimani and Kirkuk in a joint operation with Iraqi counterterrorism units.

The Asayish, in cooperation with Iraqi forces and allies, “managed to arrest three terrorists in Kirkuk and Sulaimani provinces and conducted raids in the Shwan area,” according to a statement published by the security agency.

It is the latest in a rising number of joint anti-ISIS operations by Sulaimani Asayish and Iraqi forces. According to the statement, the suspects were “conducting organizational work for ISIS and spreading extremist ideology on social media networks.” 

An initial suspect was arrested in Kirkuk on Thursday, who promptly confessed and led to the locations of the two other suspects being identified in nearby Sulaimani province, the statement explained.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2017, ISIS militants continue to pose a security threat in Iraq through sporadic hit-and-run operations and attacks on remote areas. Iraqi forces, in cooperation with Kurdish forces, have intensified their efforts to eliminate these remnants.

In a separate operation on late Friday, Iraq announced the killing of a senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader in a joint operation with coalition forces inside Syrian territory.

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