Iraqi intelligence service nabs 31 IS members responsible for Baghdad bombings

Iraqi intelligence has reportedly claimed that it has nabbed 31 Islamic State (IS) members who were responsible for planning and carrying out 52 attacks in Baghdad.

A statement released by Iraq's intelligence service said that the operation resulted in dismantling of terrorist groups linked to what is known as Wilayat Baghdad, a part of IS, reported News24.

It said that the operation was carried out in coordination with the security forces and the judiciary.

The intelligence agency said that the 31 jihadists arrested were IS members from all parts of Baghdad, as well as areas south and north of the capital.

"They confessed to 52 terrorist acts in different areas of our beloved Baghdad in 2014 and early 2015," the statement said.

It also claimed that large quantities of "arms, (explosive) belts, silencers, rigged cars and motorcycles, statements, videos of their cowardly operations" were seized.

The statement did not specify when the arrests were made but a spokesperson for the intelligence service said that the operation was conducted last month.

Fahim al-Atraqchi said that the reason behind the decreasing number of terror attacks in Baghdad over the past three weeks was the arrest of this network.