Kurdistan Asayish arrest 10 in ISIS network bust
Shafaq News- Erbil
Kurdistan Region security forces (Asayish) on Tuesday arrested 10 ISIS suspects in coordinated raids targeting a cell linked to the so-called “Wilayat [Province] Kurdistan.”
In a statement, Asayish said operations conducted with Iraq’s National Security Service between December 8, 2025, and February 9, 2026, covered Halabja, Said Sadiq, Penjwen, Garmian, and Diyala. One Asayish member was wounded.
The cell sought to reorganize ISIS ranks, form new militant groups, establish safe houses, and transfer operatives from neighboring countries into the Kurdistan Region and southern Iraq. Security forces seized firearms and explosives.
Earlier this month, the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council, said Iraq had received 5,704 ISIS suspects of 61 nationalities. The group includes 467 Iraqis, 4,253 Arab nationals, and 983 non-Arab foreign nationals, with Syrians accounting for 3,543 detainees.
Transfers began in January under arrangements involving US Central Command following unrest in northeastern Syria. Iraqi authorities are holding the suspects in high-security facilities, sources told Shafaq News.
