Iraqi forces nab Daesh commander in Mosul

By Serhad Shaker

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi police forces arrested a Daesh commander in the northern city of Mosul, according to the Defense Ministry on Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said Jihad al-Ansari was captured in a security raid in eastern Mosul upon an intelligence tip-off.

The ministry said al-Ansari was serving as a commander of Daesh militants in the northern Nineveh province.

In mid-2014, Daesh overran roughly one third of Iraq, including the northern city of Mosul.

By late 2017, the Iraqi army -- with the help of a U.S.-led military coalition -- had recovered most if not all lost territories from the notorious terrorist group.

Although officials in Baghdad say Daesh’s presence in the country has been largely eradicated, the terrorist group has continued to stage sporadic attacks in Iraq's Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin and Anbar provinces.