US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday morning his announcement on the arrest of five ISIS leaders.
“Five most wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!” Trump tweeted.
US-led International Coalition Army Spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) Colonel Ryan Dillon confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday.
Dillon described the capture as “a significant blow” to the extremist group, ISIS, who remains active in parts of Syria and Iraq. The five leaders seized are believed to be involved in recruitment boards for the radical group.
The US-led coalition “is committed to the lasting defeat of ISIS and setting conditions for stabilization.” He pointed out that the arrest was carried out in coordination between Iraqi forces and Syrian Democratic Forces supported by the US.
Close coordination between anti-ISIS coalition forces, the SDF and Iraqi forces demonstrates a strong commitment to realizing a permanent ISIS defeat and promoting stability in the area.
An official source in the Pentagon said that the arrests are the culmination of 3-month worth of efforts and coordination between the Iraqi and US intelligence.
One of the five arrested leaders is believed to have directly served as the personal assistant ISIS’ notorious leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. US intelligence agents said that a network of agents spread across the border between Syria and Iraq, exploited close ties with ISIS leaders tempting them to cross the border, where they were ambushed.
News agencies said the five had been brought to court in Baghdad.
“We will take all the necessary measures” against ISIS in Syria, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.
In December, Abadi announced a conclusive victory over ISIS which had swept a third of Iraq under its control in 2014.
ISIS militants remain a threat to Iraq along its borders with Syria.
More so, ISIS extremists continue to develop explosives, ambushes, and carry out indiscriminate shootings throughout Iraq.
Some 5,000 US troops in Iraq are training Iraqi forces to uphold security in the post-ISIS era.
