Iraqi security forces arrested on Thursday a suspected ISIS member during a preemptive search operation in southern Baghdad as part of heightened security measures for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, the Baghdad Operations Command reported on Thursday.

The suspect, wanted under Article 4/1 of Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law, was apprehended by a unit from the Federal Police's Mechanized Brigade in the Dora district's Hor Rajab area on the Karkh side of the capital, officials said. 

The operation was conducted as part of an intensified effort to identify and track down remnants of the defeated terrorist organization.

This arrest follows a similar operation carried out on Wednesday, where another ISIS member, involved in the bombing of a guesthouse (Bayt al-Diyafa) in one of Iraq's provinces, was detained. 

Intelligence indicated the suspect’s movements on the Karkh side, leading to his capture by a joint force from the Federal Police and Counter-Terrorism Unit.

Both individuals are now in custody, awaiting further legal proceedings.

The arrests come as security forces ramp up efforts to ensure the safety of pilgrims traveling to commemorate Arbaeen, one of the largest annual religious observances in Iraq.

ISIS took control of swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, announcing their so-called caliphate with the city of Mosul as its capital, until Iraqi and Kurdish forces, with assistance from the US-led coalition forces regained control of the taken territories in 2017, announcing the group as territorially defeated.

However, the group still conducts occasional hit-and-run attacks and ambushes in several Iraqi territories, specifically areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.