CTG Offers Condolences to Iraq's CTS

CTG's Media Office

CTG and CTS logos.

The Kurdistan Region's General Directorate of Counter Terrorism (CTG) has extended a message of condolence to the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) following the martyrdom of three of its members and the injury of four others in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast southwest of Mosul.

The statement read:

“On behalf of the Director General, officers, and personnel of the General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism (CTG), we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to our brothers and colleagues in the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service following the cowardly terrorist attack that resulted in the martyrdom of three of their heroic members and the injury of four others, caused by an IED left behind by terrorists in southwest Mosul.

While we strongly condemn this treacherous terrorist act, we pray to Almighty God to grant the martyrs His vast mercy and forgiveness, and to bestow patience and solace upon their families. We also wish the wounded a swift recovery.

The blood of our martyrs will not be shed in vain, and we will continue the fight against terrorism until it is completely eradicated.”

Three soldiers from Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service were killed and four others wounded when a bomb exploded in the country’s north, the CTS announced in a statement on Sunday.

The explosion occurred during a routine sweep as CTS units carried out field inspections in Al Hadar Desert, south-west of the northern city of Mosul, the statement read.

ISIS captured large parts of Iraq in 2014 and declared a self-styled “caliphate,” leading to widespread violence and mass displacement. Although Iraq declared victory over the group in 2017, ISIS remnants remain active, particularly in disputed territories between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Despite Iraq’s declaration of military victory over ISIS in December 2017, remnants of the group have persisted in operating in desert hideouts across western and northern Iraq. These cells rely on hit-and-run attacks, roadside bombs, and ambushes of security forces and civilians.

Iraqi and Kurdish security forces regularly carry out joint operations aimed at eradicating these remaining terrorist networks.

The latest incident highlights the persistent danger posed by explosive devices left by ISIS, even years after the group lost its territorial foothold. Iraqi security forces continue to conduct clearance and intelligence-led operations to locate weapons caches and disrupt sleeper cells, particularly in Nineveh, Anbar and Saladin provinces.



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