Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTS) of the Iraqi National Security Services (INSS) and General Directorate of Operations of the Asayish of Iraqi Kurdistan led a join operation, resulting in the capture of 21 terrorists in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), including prominent leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS), Roj News reported on Monday.
The operation was the culmination of months of intensive intelligence work and field surveillance, and was carried out with full judicial approval to ensure its legality, Iraqi officials announced. Among those captured was a high-ranking ISIS leader responsible for security and financial operations within the Falluja province. The Iraq Security Media Network confirmed the operation’s success, stating that all apprehended individuals have been handed over to the judiciary for prosecution.
This major crackdown comes amid escalating concerns over Turkey’s strategic deployment of ISIS militants to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). At a recent press conference in Raqqa on 21 July, members of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) called for unified resistance against Turkish actions. Sozdar Dêrik of the YPJ highlighted the severe threat posed by Turkey’s utilisation of ISIS fighters, referencing the group’s historical atrocities in Syria, Iraq, and beyond.
“ISIS’ massacres in Syria, Iraq, Sinjar (Şengal), Kurdistan, and Europe remain vivid in the public’s memory. Thousands of Yazidi women were abducted, and countless lives were lost,” Dêrik said. She accused Turkey of attempting to replicate annexation tactics used in North and East Syria (Rojava) for operations in Iraqi Kurdistan, deploying Turkish-backed ISIS militants to regions such as Metîna and Zap to engage guerrilla forces.
The YPJ condemned the reorganisation and funding of ISIS fighters within Turkish-occupied areas, warning of their deployment to various countries, including Europe and Africa. They called upon the Iraqi Kurdistan regional and Iraqi federal governments to reject the presence of Turkish and ISIS forces. “We fought ISIS alongside Peshmerga and international revolutionaries in Kobani (Kobanê); today, we must protect all of Kurdistan and the Middle East with the same spirit,” Dêrik asserted.
Recent reports by independent news outlet Sepi Media allege that Turkey trained 416 former ISIS fighters in Afrin (Efrîn), Syria, deploying the majority to Iraqi Kurdistan to combat Kurdish guerrilla forces. Journalist Erdoğan Altan reported that Turkey is using these militants to establish a buffer zone in Iraqi Kurdistan and alter regional demographics, with over 800 paramilitary fighters, including ex-ISIS members, relocated to the area.
