Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Wednesday the arrest of two Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in the western province of Anbar and the destruction of three ISIS hideouts in the northern Kirkuk province, the Xinhua news agency reported.
A CTS statement said that the arrests were carried out during two separate operations based on precise intelligence and judicial warrants.
Separately, CTS forces in Kirkuk located and destroyed three ISIS hideouts during search and ambush operations, it added.
The operations come amid heightened vigilance as Iraqi security forces on Tuesday arrested an ISIS terrorist wearing an explosive belt in Anbar, thwarting a suicide bombing attempt.
ISIS overran large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.
Several military offensives, including those backed by the US-led international coalition, have since seen ISIS lose most areas it once controlled, including the loss of their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria.
However, ISIS sleeper cells remain in the area and continue to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.
Iraqi authorities regularly report the arrest of suspected ISIS members as part of ongoing counter‑terrorism operations.
Last week, Iraqi forces arrested three ISIS terrorists in intelligence‑driven raids carried out in Anbar and Sulaymaniyah provinces.
In August of 2023, UN experts said that ISIS still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former stronghold in Syria and Iraq and its fighters pose the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan.