![Iraqi security forces in Iraq on 20 October 2017 [Ali Mukarrem Garip/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017_10-20-Iraqi-security-forces-take-control-of-Altun-Kopru-village-of-Kirkuk20171020_2_26400414_27007930.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Iraq’s security forces said today they had made arrests related to the kidnapping and holding hostage of six of their members by Daesh militants, Reuters reported.
The militants had kidnapped six men and on Saturday threatened to kill them in three days unless the government released Sunni Muslim female prisoners.
In a video released by the group, the six men identify themselves as members of the police or the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella grouping of mostly Shia Iran-backed militias that fought with government forces against Daesh.
They were kidnapped on the highway connecting Baghdad to Iraq’s north, a road that has seen an uptick in attacks by Daesh in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi met security and intelligence leaders yesterday and ordered the formation of a special force to secure roads and protect travellers, the security forces said in a statement.
Daesh: Free Sunni women or Iraqi security men die
“This force was able to arrest elements from the terrorism and crime gangs that are related to the recent kidnapping incident on the road to Kirkuk province recently,” it said.
Al-Abadi declared final victory over the hardline Sunni militants in December but the group still operates from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq.