Iraqi forces arrest member of the inner circle of Daesh’ Baghdadi.

Iraq’s Defense Ministry on Monday announced the arrest of a prominent recruiter for the so-called Islamic State in Anbar province. He was alleged to be a “close” associate of the group’s figurehead Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The intelligence units of the defense ministry captured “one of the most prominent terrorists in Hit, Anbar, who is the military Emir of [so-called] Hit province before [its] liberation,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the detainee “is one of the terrorists that are close to the criminal Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

The suspect forcibly displaced many families, coerced members of the security services to quit their positions, and recruited young individuals for the organization, the statement said.

The ministry did not disclose the name of the detainee but noted that he is one of the “most wanted” terrorist suspects in the country.

However, Iraqi security expert Hisham al-Hashimi said the detainee was named Shaaban Nasser al-Hiti. He added that the operation would help “decipher the recruitment and financing” aspects of the terrorist organization’s modus operandi in Anbar.