Iraqi intelligence penetrates IS group, foils attacks in many countries: report

BAGHDAD, Oct. 21 — Russia-led coalition in Syria launched effective airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria based on reports of the Iraqi intelligence after its members penetrated IS group, an Iraqi newspaper reported on Sunday.
The coalition also thwarted plans by the extremist militants to carry out attacks in several countries, state-owned al-Sabah newspaper said.
The Russia-led coalition, including Iraq, Iran and Syria, killed dozens of IS militants in airstrikes on their positions in Hajin area in eastern Syria recently.
Abu Ali al-Basri, head of intelligence office in Iraqi Interior Ministry, said “the Iraqi intelligence which penetrated the terrorist organization, provided the Russia-led coalition with intelligence information about the positions and movement of Daesh (IS group) militants,” the newspaper quoted Basri as saying.
The Iraqi intelligence unveiled plans by IS group to carry out attacks in Turkey, Iran and al-Sulaimaniyah province in northeastern Iraq, Basri said.
“A series of airstrikes by Russian aircraft, based on reports from the Iraqi intelligence service named al-Suqour Cell, also foiled Daesh’s plans to infiltrate into Iraq, Iran, Turkey and European countries,” Basri added.
“The extremist organization is planning to recruit IS militants who fled their former strongholds in Syria and Iraq, in order to send them to Turkey, France, Eastern Asia and North Africa,” Basri confirmed.
“The fled terrorists are from different nationalities, including Arabs,” Basri said, adding “the Iraqi intelligence provided the targeted countries with the names of the terrorists.”
Previously, Iraq frequently carried out airstrikes by its F-16 fighter jets inside Syria, including the Syrian eastern town of Hajin, as part of preemptive airstrikes against IS militants.
On April 26, Haider al-Abadi, the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, said that IS group has suffered fiasco in both Iraq and Syria, but the complex situation in Syria and the ongoing conflict on the ground gave a breathing chance for IS in eastern Syria near the border with Iraq. – XINHUA