The Security Council of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region announced on Friday the capture of Soqrat Khalil, the right-hand man of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. According to the statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government, Soqrat Khalil, also known as “Abdullah al-Tafkheekh,” joined ISIS in 2013 and was a close and highly trusted associate of al-Baghdadi. Khalil was involved in the bomb-making division within ISIS and played a significant role in the capture of Mosul in June 2014. He held several emir positions within ISIS and was present in Mosul until 2017, participating in all battles defending the city.
After leaving Mosul, Khalil moved to Syria, where he was assigned several security tasks. He returned to Mosul in 2018 using a fake passport. Following this, he moved to Turkey after committing several terrorist acts and lived there for five years. He decided to return to the northern Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where he was arrested upon arrival using a fake identity card and passport by the security forces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Over the past year, ISIS continued to pose a significant security threat in Iraq despite its territorial defeat in 2017. The group has maintained its presence through sleeper cells, engaging in sporadic attacks, bombings, and abductions, especially in disputed areas between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), such as Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk.
Significant incidents include a spate of attacks in Diyala and Makhmour, resulting in civilian and military casualties. In December 2023, the Iraqi army, in coordination with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), launched operations in Kirkuk to target ISIS cells following these attacks. Coordinated operations between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Asayish forces led to notable arrests, such as that of Abu Bakhari, a commander of ISIS’s foreign battalion, in September 2023. Despite these efforts, ISIS remains active, exploiting the region’s instability to continue its insurgency.
