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ISIS Militants Kill 2 Iraqi Soldiers, Wound 3 Others in Northern Iraq, Officials Say

The bodies of three Iraqi soldiers who were killed in a pre-dawn attack blamed on the ISIS group, are repatriated from Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on June 11, 2023. (AFP)
The bodies of three Iraqi soldiers who were killed in a pre-dawn attack blamed on the ISIS group, are repatriated from Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on June 11, 2023. (AFP)
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ISIS Militants Kill 2 Iraqi Soldiers, Wound 3 Others in Northern Iraq, Officials Say

The bodies of three Iraqi soldiers who were killed in a pre-dawn attack blamed on the ISIS group, are repatriated from Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on June 11, 2023. (AFP)
The bodies of three Iraqi soldiers who were killed in a pre-dawn attack blamed on the ISIS group, are repatriated from Kirkuk airport in northern Iraq on June 11, 2023. (AFP)

ISIS group militants attacked an Iraqi army position in the northern governorate of Kirkuk, killing two military officers and wounding three soldiers, Iraq's security media office said in a statement Sunday.

The Iraqi Security Media Cell said militants belonging to the extremist group late Saturday targeted the military position in the district of Dibis with light and medium weapons but did not provide further details.

The statement said that Iraqi authorities held a meeting to investigate the attack.

ISIS, in a late Saturday statement, claimed responsibility for the attack on their website.

This comes as the Iraqi military has cracked down on ISIS sleeper cells near the country's borders over the past month. Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service launched airstrikes targeting the group's positions in the western desert of the Anbar province and in the Hamrin mountains near Kirkuk, killing 27 militants.

The terrorist group in recent years has targeted Iraqi army positions in the governorate of Kirkuk. In November 2022, ISIS militants killed four Iraqi soldiers in the governorate's district of Dibis , and took their weapons and communications gear.

Kirkuk's governor, Rakan Saeed al-Jiboury, told The Associated Press at the time that the attack happened in an area divided between the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga forces who don't coordinate their actions "and (ISIS) takes advantage of this.”

ISIS’s territorial control in Iraq and Syria was crushed by a years-long US-backed campaign, but its fighters continued with sleeper cells that have killed scores of Iraqis and Syrians.

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Arab World

Syria, Kurds Extend Truce to Allow Transfer of ISIS Detainees

Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
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Syria, Kurds Extend Truce to Allow Transfer of ISIS Detainees

Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)

Syria's government and Kurdish forces on Saturday extended their truce by 15 days, with Damascus saying it was to support the US transfer of ISIS group detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Several sources had earlier told AFP the truce would be prolonged, with a Syrian official in Damascus citing the same reason.

In a statement, the Syrian defense ministry said the 15-day extension would take effect at 11pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday.

"The extension of the ceasefire comes in support of the American operation to transfer ISIS detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq," the statement added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF also confirmed the extension, saying it was reached "through international mediation, while dialogue with Damascus continues".

"Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability," it said in a statement.

Damascus and the SDF had initially agreed to a four-day ceasefire on Tuesday after Kurdish forces relinquished swathes of territory to government troops, who also sent reinforcements to a Kurdish stronghold in the northeast.

Three sources, including a Kurdish source and a Syrian official in Damascus, had told AFP earlier on Saturday that the ceasefire would be extended.

- ISIS transfer -

After the SDF lost large areas to government forces, Washington said it would transfer 7,000 ISIS detainees to prisons in Iraq.

Europeans were among the 150 senior ISIS detainees who were the first to be transferred on Wednesday, and two Iraqi officials told AFP that a second batch of "up to 1,000 ISIS detainees" were being sent on Saturday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country is a key backer of Damascus but hostile to the SDF, had said during a TV interview Friday that in light of the ISIS prisoner transfers, "extending the ceasefire for a while longer might be considered".

The transfer is expected to take several days.

ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres and other atrocities before ultimately being territorially defeated by the SDF and a US-led coalition.

The truce between Damascus and the Kurds is part of a new understanding over Kurdish-majority areas in Hasakeh province and a broader deal to integrate the Kurds' administration into the state.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The new authorities are seeking to extend state control across Syria, resetting international ties including with the United States, now a key ally.

The Kurdish source said the SDF submitted a proposal to the authorities through US envoy Tom Barrack that would have the government managing border crossings -- a key Damascus demand.

It also proposes that Damascus would "allocate part of the economic resources -- particularly revenue from border crossings and oil -- to the Kurdish-majority areas", the source added.

Earlier this month, the Syrian army recaptured oil fields, including the country's largest, while advancing against Kurdish forces.

On Saturday, Syria's government freed at least 126 minors being held in a prison for ISIS detainees in Raqqa province in northern Syria after taking over the facility from Kurdish forces.

Arab World

Report: Netanyahu Refused Washington’s Request for Israeli President to Attend Board of Peace Launch

President Donald Trump, center, holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
President Donald Trump, center, holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
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Report: Netanyahu Refused Washington’s Request for Israeli President to Attend Board of Peace Launch

President Donald Trump, center, holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)
President Donald Trump, center, holds up a signed Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a request by the White House to allow President Isaac Herzog to attend the launch ceremony of President Trump's Gaza Board of Peace on Thursday in Davos, Axios reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the details.

According to diplomatic sources, US officials approached the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday and Wednesday, proposing that Herzog represent Israel, sit on stage with the other leaders, and sign the Board of Peace charter.

Netanyahu refused and effectively vetoed Herzog’s participation, according to Axios. The PM argued that Trump had addressed the invitation to him personally, not to president.

Israel’s absence, the sources said, created the impression that Jerusalem was not fully aligned with the Trump peace plan.

Ultimately, the White House chose not to escalate the dispute, the sources said.

Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff preferred to focus their pressure on Netanyahu regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza rather than Herzog’s attendance.

Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Israel on Saturday evening for a meeting with Netanyahu expected to center on the Rafah border crossing.

Netanyahu did not travel to Davos due to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him, but Herzog was present at the forum.

Arab World

Iraq Urges International Community to Help it Shoulder ISIS Burden

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq Urges International Community to Help it Shoulder ISIS Burden

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)

The transfer of ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria could saddle Iraq with annual costs of up to $25 million, an Iraqi government source said on Saturday.

The source said the number of detainees stands at around 7,000 members and that the cost of feeding them is estimated at roughly 33 billion Iraqi dinars a year, or about $25 million, according to Shafaq News.

The comments came as Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Iraq should not shoulder alone the security and financial burdens resulting from the transfer of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Hussein made the remarks during a phone call with the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, during which they discussed developments in Syria and the issue of prisons holding ISIS members.

The statement said the officials discussed security risks arising from the escape of several ISIS members from some prisons outside the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as well as the security situation in Syria’s Hasakah province.

They also stressed the importance of resolving disputes peacefully.

Hussein was quoted as saying that responsibility for dealing with the ISIS detainee file “must be borne by all concerned countries and should not fall on Iraq alone.”

Earlier this week, the US military’s US Central Command said its forces had transferred 150 ISIS detainees from a detention facility in Syria’s Hasakah to Iraq, adding that the move was intended to prevent their escape.

Reuters quoted a US official as saying Washington expects the transfer of up to 7,000 detainees from prisons in Syria to Iraq to be completed in the coming days, noting that hundreds of detainees could be moved daily across the border.

Political debate

Falih al-Fayyad, head of Iraq’s pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces, said Iraq had received the first batch of detainees, adding that the government would begin talks with the international coalition to shoulder the costs associated with transferring the rest.

Fayyad said most of the detainees are wanted by the Iraqi judiciary and will stand trial under Iraqi law, adding that their transfer to prisons inside Iraq “serves security interests” compared with keeping them in unstable detention facilities outside the country.

The transfer of the detainees has sparked political and media debate in Iraq, amid concerns over the financial and security burdens involved. At the same time, the government says the issue is being handled as a national security matter in coordination with the international coalition.

Separately, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani discussed with US Central Command commander Brad Cooper the timeline for the transfer, stressing the importance of security coordination to prevent any potential threats to Iraq and the region.

Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said the government had ordered the completion of a concrete wall along the Syrian border, which is 80% complete.

Numan said the transferred detainees are wanted on terrorism charges and will be held in fortified prisons, adding that the transfer “will be carried out under a tightly coordinated plan prepared by the Joint Operations Command and the relevant security agencies, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, which has prepared an integrated plan to accommodate them inside Iraqi prisons.”