BAGHDAD

Iraqi security forces captured 26 suspected members of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist groups in security swoops across Iraq, according to authorities on Sunday.

Seven Daesh/ISIS suspects were arrested in an ambush in the northern Kirkuk province on Saturday, the Iraqi National Security Service said in a statement.

Security forces also nabbed 12 suspects in the western Anbar province and seven others in Salahuddin in northern Iraq.

All the suspects were transferred to judicial authorities for investigation, the statement said.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all of its territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terror group in 2014.

But the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks. The Iraqi army and security forces continue to carry out frequent operations against the group in parts of the country.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar