16 Daesh/ISIS suspects caught in Iraq

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) – Iraqi security forces nabbed 16 members of the Daesh terror group, also known as ISIS, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement that simultaneous anti-terror operations in separate locations of Kirkuk and Mosul were carried out.

In 2014, the terror group gained full control of Mosul, Saladin and Anbar provinces and captured certain parts of Diyala and Kirkuk. However, the Iraqi government eventually regained control of the territories over the course of a few years.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the country's victory over the terror group on Dec. 9, 2017.

Although three years have passed since Daesh was eliminated from the region, its attacks in rural areas of Kirkuk, Mosul, Saladin and Anbar still continue.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas