Iraqi authorities announced on Sunday the arrest of an ISIS member inside a hotel in Baghdad. According to a statement from the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency under the Ministry of Interior, the individual was tasked with gathering “information” on security force personnel.
The ISIS member was apprehended in a hotel located on the Rasafa side of the eastern bank of the Tigris River that crosses the capital city. The official statement indicated that the arrest was based on “accurate intelligence information received by specialized units of the Intelligence Agency responsible for the security of tourist facilities.” The intelligence specifically pointed to the presence of an individual wanted for terrorism charges, most importantly for providing specific information on security force members to terrorist gangs of ISIS.
Upon investigation, it was found that he was “assigned to provide personal information on security personnel in the province of Nineveh,” and he confessed to being a member of ISIS. The statement did not disclose the identity of the arrested individual nor the name of the hotel where he was apprehended.
Despite the Iraqi authorities’ declaration of victory over the extremist group at the end of 2017, ISIS’s sleeper cells continue to intermittently target army and police personnel, particularly in rural and remote areas outside the major cities. A report published in July by the United Nations indicated that “counter-terrorism operations by Iraqi forces have continued to curb the activities of the ISIS organization, which nonetheless maintains its insurgency to some degree.” The report further noted that “the group’s operations have been limited to rural areas, while attacks in urban centers have become less frequent.”
This high-stakes arrest comes at a critical time when Iraqi forces remain vigilant to ISIS’s mutating threats and tactics. It underlines the prevailing security challenges, demonstrating the urgency for rigorous intelligence and security measures. With ISIS still able to infiltrate even the guarded spaces like hotels in the capital, the operation serves as a stark reminder of the extremist group’s lingering capabilities, even as Iraq continues its battle against the remnants of the terrorist organization.
