A force from the PMF “was able to overthrow a prominent leader in the remnants of the terrorist ISIS in the province of Baghdad,” it said in a statement, identifying the suspect by the initials "A.B.R."
He is accused of assisting another ISIS official in southern Baghdad and has been referred to court for legal procedures, the statement added.
ISIS rose to power and seized control of large swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014. It was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell to Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition.
Despite its territorial defeat, the group continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, which stretch across the provinces of Salahaddin, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Nineveh.
On Thursday, the US military announced that 15 ISIS suspects were killed in a joint military operation with the Iraqi army in the western Anbar province, and an American defense official told Rudaw that seven US troops were injured in the raid.
On Friday, the Iraqi army announced the killing of 14 suspected ISIS fighters including “key leaders” in airstrikes on a hideout used by the militants in Anbar.
