FIIA dismantles terrorist network in coordination with Kurdistan Region

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iraq's Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency (FIIA) announced the dismantling of a terrorist network in collaboration with security authorities in the Kurdistan Region (KRI).

The FIIA stated, "The operation, executed with precision and speed based on accurate intelligence, resulted in the arrest of three suspects within the Region."

"During interrogation, the suspects confessed to carrying out several terrorist operations in Kirkuk, Saladin, and Diyala governorates."

Terrorism in Iraq has been a persistent issue since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. The invasion led to widespread instability, allowing militant groups like al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) to exploit the power vacuum and launch a campaign of bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations. Sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia factions escalated, deepening the country's divisions.

In 2014, the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) marked a new phase in Iraq's fight against terrorism. ISIS seized vast territories, including the city of Mosul, and carried out brutal acts of violence. The Iraqi forces, alongside the Kurdish forces (Peshmerga) and the US-led coalition, eventually drove ISIS out of its strongholds by 2017. However, remnants of the group continue to operate through sleeper cells, particularly in rural areas.