Iraq announces ISIS network busted in West Africa: What to know
Activity by the Islamic State’s West Africa branch is increasing, according to some observers, and Iraq is looking to strengthen counterterrorism coordination with other states.
Iraqi intelligence announced on Monday evening that they had arrested alleged Islamic State (ISIS) members in several African states, saying the operation disrupted a finance and smuggling network utilized by the group.
What happened: Iraq’s National Intelligence Service said they arrested members of a “major Daesh financing network responsible for smuggling terrorists” around the world, referring to the group by their Arabic-language acronym. The service said the arrests occurred in a number of unspecified West African countries and the detainees were allegedly seeking to attack targets in Europe and Iraqi interests abroad, a possible reference to Iraqi diplomatic missions, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.
بيان صادر عن جهاز المخابرات الوطني
— جهاز المخابرات الوطني العراقي (@INIS_IQ) September 1, 2025
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
﴿وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَعْدَائِكُمْ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا﴾
صدق الله العلي العظيم
تمكّن جهاز المخابرات الوطني وبجهد استثنائي نوعي عابر للحدود وبإشراف مجلس القضاء الاعلى من اعتقال شبكة… pic.twitter.com/zvAYAgtJl2
The service added that the arrests were made possible by another operation against an ISIS finance cell in the northern Kirkuk province in 2023.
Why it matters: Iraqi forces have carried out operations against ISIS outside the country before, most notably in Syria, but Monday’s announcement marks the first time such arrests were made on the African continent.
