Iraqi forces arrest 12 Daesh militants in Nineveh

By Serhad Shaker

NINEVEH, Iraq

Iraqi forces rounded up 12 suspected members of the Daesh terrorist group in the northern Nineveh province, according to a local police chief on Monday.

“The militants have been arrested in crackdown campaigns in several areas in Nineveh,” Maj. Gen. Hamad al-Jabouri told Anadolu Agency.

Meanwhile, a local official was shot dead in an attack in the town of al-Ayadia in western Nineveh.

“Gunmen raided the house of the al-Ayadia local chief and killed him,” Maj. Abdel-Rahman al-Hamed said.

He said the local chief’s wife was seriously injured in the attack.

Last year, Iraqi officials declared that Daesh's military presence in the country had been neutralized following a three-year conflict with the army backed by the U.S.-led coalition.

Nevertheless, Iraqi forces continue to carry out frequent operations with the aim of decisively ending the group’s lingering presence.