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Two ISIS Members Captured and Brought Back to Iraq
In a recent operation outside the country, Iraqi authorities have successfully captured two members of the Islamic State group and brought them back to Iraq. The two men confessed to committing crimes during the rule of the extremist organization, according to a statement by the Iraqi National Intelligence Service.
Capture and Confessions
The exact location of where the two men were captured was not disclosed, but a video released by the intelligence department showed them blindfolded and handcuffed aboard a small plane. The men, identified as Issam Abed Ali Sueidan and Bashir Abed Ali Sueidan, later appeared in a video wearing yellow uniforms and speaking about their roles within the extremist group.
Role within ISIS
Issam Abed Ali Sueidan, also known as Abu Zeid, was a main propagandist for the Islamic State group in the central Iraqi city of Fallujah. In the video, Sueidan confessed to beheading an Iraqi soldier in Fallujah and creating propaganda videos for the group. Bashir Abed Ali Sueidan, or Abu Ahmad, was in charge of telecommunications in Fallujah and claimed to have been held in the U.S.-run prison of Camp Bucca in southern Iraq.
Current State of ISIS
Despite sustained counterterrorism operations, the Islamic State group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Iraq and Syria, according to U.N. experts. Most of these members are fighters, and the group has reduced its attacks to facilitate recruiting and reorganization. In northeast Syria, approximately 11,000 suspected ISIS fighters are being held in facilities of the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Future of U.S. Military Coalition
The capture of these two ISIS members comes at a crucial time as Iraq and the United States have begun formal talks aimed at winding down the mission of the U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight ISIS. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has expressed confidence in the Iraqi security forces’ capability to deal with the remaining ISIS cells in the country, suggesting that the coalition’s presence is no longer necessary.
The presence of roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq remains a topic of discussion, with plans for potential withdrawal or reduction in the near future. The fight against ISIS continues, with efforts to dismantle the extremist group’s remaining infrastructure and sleeper cells in both Iraq and Syria.
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