Iraq continues to kill, capture IS members as effectiveness questioned
Iraqi security forces have captured and killed a number of key Islamic State facilitators and others in the past month amid a US mission transition and concerns over coordination.
ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan — Iraqi security forces continued their operations against Islamic State (IS) cells and sources of funding in December with a number of captures and killings as the US "combat mission" against IS in the country drew to an end.
The US combat mission is due to officially end Dec. 31. Military advisers will remain in Iraq on bases in Anbar, Erbil and Baghdad.
Iraqi military intelligence reportedly captured a man near Ramadi in Iraq’s Anbar province who was allegedly responsible for collecting "zakat" from shepherds, according to a Dec. 21 tweet by the government-linked Iraqi Security Media Cell.
Zakat is a religious obligation in Islam to donate a certain part of one's wealth to charitable causes. Few Muslim countries enforce zakat taxation, but IS established a specific administrative department, Diwan al-Zakat wa al-Sadaqat, for this purpose when it still controlled a significant amount of territory between Iraq and Syria.
