BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb 21 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi security said Wednesday that, 24 Daesh militants, who infiltrated from neighbouring Syria, were captured in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh.
The Iraqi Army’s Chief of Staff, Othman al-Ghanimi, told reporters at a press conference near the provincial capital, Mosul, that four of the captured were group leaders.
Al-Ghanimi’s comment came, during his visit to Nineveh’s Operations Command, which is responsible for the security situation in northern Iraq, including the border areas.
He stressed the need to take precautionary security measures, to maintain security in the city of Mosul and other areas in the province.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, said that, Iraq is concerned about developments of the battles in neighbouring Syria, which is witnessing the clearing of the last pocket of Daesh extremist group near the Syrian border.
Iraqi security force and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades are deployed on the borderline between Syria and Iraq, which extends to some 600 km in the west of the two provinces of Nineveh and Anbar.
The long borderline between the two countries has long been used by insurgent groups and Daesh militants for logistic support and to carry out cross-border attacks in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.– NNN-NINA
