\n 2026-04-15T09:50:47+00:00<\/p>\n
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Shafaq News- Baghdad<\/p>\n
Iraq has dismantled four ISIS-linked cells in security operations
\ncarried out in early 2026, the country\u2019s Ministry of Interior reported on
\nWednesday, noting that the group is increasingly exploiting social media and
\nonline gaming platforms to recruit young people.<\/p>\n
In a press conference, Ministry Spokesperson
\nColonel Abbas al-Bahadli outlined a broad nationwide security campaign,
\npointing out that the Intelligence and Investigations Directorate issued 479
\narrest warrants under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, alongside roughly
\n80 preemptive operations.<\/p>\n
Security forces detained 22 suspects in kidnapping cases and 173
\nindividuals linked to what al-Bahadli described as \u201ctribal daka\u201d extortion
\nactivities. Authorities also seized 732 antiquities prepared for smuggling and
\nheld 10 people accused of impersonating official positions.<\/p>\n
Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, it continues
\noperating as an insurgent network across desert and rural regions, including
\nDiyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. Earlier this year, the Counter Terrorism
\nService carried out what sources stated was a large-scale operation<\/a> in
\nSaladin\u2019s Hamrin mountain range, capturing a senior ISIS figure linked to the
\ngroup\u2019s so-called \u201cBayt al-Mal\u201d (treasury). <\/p>\n