Five senior ISIS officials captured in U.S.-Iraqi sting operation, reports say

[Catholic Crusader]

Five senior ISIS officials captured in U.S.-Iraqi sting operation, reports say
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-iraqi-sting-operation-reports-say/598224002/

At least five senior Islamic State officials have been captured in a three-month operation by Iraqi and American intelligence that involved phone apps and the breaking of secret bank accounts and communication codes, according to news reports.

The captures were announced Wednesday on Iraqi state TV, which broadcast images of four of the detainees wearing yellow prisoner jumpsuits.

President Trump, in a tweet on Thursday, said only that "Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured."

 

[Catholic Crusader]

Five Top ISIS Officials Captured in U.S.-Iraqi Sting
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-islamic-state-arrest.html

BAGHDAD — Five senior Islamic State officials have been captured, including a top aide to the group’s leader, in a complex cross-border sting carried out by Iraqi and American intelligence, two Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

The three-month operation, which tracked a group of senior Islamic State leaders who had been hiding in Syria and Turkey, represents a significant intelligence victory for the American-led coalition fighting the extremist group and underscores the strengthening relationship between Washington and Baghdad.

Two Iraqi intelligence officials said those captured included four Iraqis and one Syrian whose responsibilities included governing the Islamic State’s territory around Deir al-Zour, Syria, directing internal security and running the administrative body that oversees religious rulings.

Iraq’s external intelligence agency published a statement confirming the arrests, but did not mention any details of the role played by the Americans or the Turks. The two Iraqi intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that had not been made public