Iraqi security forces have arrested five suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in a series of coordinated counter-terrorism operations across Kirkuk, Al-Anbar and Nineveh provinces, the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the ICTS said its units detained two suspects in Kirkuk on charges related to transporting, supplying and providing logistical support to ISIS remnants still active in the area. The arrests were carried out under judicial warrants and followed intelligence assessments and field surveillance.

In western Iraq’s Al-Anbar province, counter-terrorism forces conducted two separate security operations that resulted in the arrest of two additional suspects. According to the ICTS, one of those detained had previously been active in several sectors of what ISIS once referred to as “Wilayat Al-Anbar,” the group’s former provincial structure prior to its territorial defeat.

A separate operation in Nineveh province led to the arrest of another suspected ISIS member, described by the ICTS as part of the group’s remaining sleeper cells.

The Counter Terrorism Service said the operations were part of an ongoing pre-emptive security strategy aimed at preventing ISIS from regrouping or carrying out attacks, stressing that its forces would continue targeted raids to maintain stability across the country.

Although ISIS was militarily defeated in Iraq in 2017, the group continues to operate through small, covert cells, particularly in remote and disputed areas of northern and western Iraq. Throughout 2025, Iraqi security forces — including the army, the Popular Mobilization Forces and the Peshmerga — have carried out near-daily operations, often supported by intelligence from Global Coalition partners, to disrupt militant networks and prevent large-scale attacks.