Military: Up to 500 IS militants are still present in Iraq.

The Islamic State group (IS) still has up to 500 active fighters in Iraq, a senior military official estimated Sunday in the country where jihadist cells continue to launch sporadic attacks. Iraqi General Qais al-Mohamadawi, part of the anti-jihadist coalition, stressed that IS group, now based in remote desert and mountain hideouts, has "lost its ability to attract new recruits".The United Nations estimated in a report published last month that IS group still has "5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters" across Iraq and neighbouring Syria, "roughly half of whom are fighters". The IS extremists in 2014 launched their self-proclaimed "caliphate" across swathes of both countries in a campaign marked by its brutality. US-backed counter-offensives ended their territorial hold in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but IS cells continue to target security forces and civilians in both countries. With thousands of suspected IS fighters and relatives now held in vast detention camps, US General Michael Kurilla warned Saturday of the persistent threat of an "ISIS army in detention".

The UN report last month said IS had been much depleted by "sustained counter-terrorism operations" in both countries, but it still operates cells of around 15 to 30 individuals across Syria and continues "guerrilla warfare tactics" against government forces, other fighters and civilians. The report estimated IS's "dwindling cash reserves" at $25 million to $50 million and said it had started investing in hotels and real estate to rebuild and recover.