ERBIL - A former military advisor of the Islamic State (IS) has been captured in the Iraqi province of Anbar.

According to a statement by the Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate, the senior IS leader was arrested on Wednesday during an operation in the district of Annah, in Anbar, as cited by Iraqi News.

He was identified as Abu Anas al-Samarei who was responsible for gathering weapons from citizens "who serve in the Iraqi security apparatus," the statement added.

The Islamic State was declared defeated in Iraq in late 2017, but the extremist group's sleeper cells are yet to be eliminated and they continue to impose a real threat to civilians and the security forces in the country.

Bas News