The Kurdistan Region security forces on Saturday announced the arrest of Islamic State emir in Makhmur, near to Erbil.
Abu Laila whose real name is Zidan Khalifa, was emir the group’s Tirgirs sector and was operating near Qarachogh mount in Erbil’s Makhmur district.
The Kurdish security forces said that they conducted the operation to arrest him on September 6.
In a video posted on Facebook, Abu Laila said that He joined ISIS in 2014. He was responsible for a mortar division and took part in battles against Kurdish peshmerga. According to Kurdish security forces announcement, Abu Laila was in the charge of ISIS checkpoints near Qarachogh mount with instructions to perpetrate assassinations and abduct civilians for money and ransom.
A source from Kurdistan Region security forces said that He was responsible for collecting financial support for other ISIS divisions as well. “He led the ISIS checkpoint which abducted two kurdish civilians in April 2023, and killed IDF member” The source sold Kurdaily.
Mount Qarachogh is situated in a region where there is lack of security presence. Due to the lack of security presence, it has been vulnerable area between the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi federal forces. Taking advantage of this situation, ISIS has been engaging in acts of harassment and launching attacks against the local population. In order to address the issue, The federal budget for the year has allocated funds for the establishment of joint brigades involving the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, aiming at effectively combating ISIS in these specific areas.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. Although The group has lost all territories They controlled in 2014 but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
