– Members of ISIS, al-Shabaab, several foreign terrorists arrested in joint counter-terrorism operation with Afripol, says international police agency

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least 37 terrorists were apprehended in a joint Interpol and Afripol counter-terrorism operation across East Africa late last year, including suspected members of the ISIS (Daesh) and al-Shabaab terror groups.

“Those arrested include suspected members of ISIS (Daesh), Al Shabaab, and several foreign terrorist fighters,” Interpol said in a statement on Monday.

Small arms and heavy weapons were also seized during operations in eight East African countries, the international police agency said.

“In Kenya, police arrested 17 people, including two suspected ISIS members, several foreign terrorist fighters, and others involved in terrorism financing, radicalization, and propaganda,” according to the statement, which specifies the regions where the arrests occurred.

“Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrested four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and two associates. Forces also seized and destroyed a missile and anti-tank device abandoned by suspected terrorists,” it said.

Congo has been facing ongoing attacks by the ADF, an ISIS-affiliated terrorist organization.

Somali authorities detained three people, including a suspected al-Shabaab bombmaker and an operative linked to grenade attacks on police checkpoints, it said.

Since 2007, al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” on the group.

The Interpol said that Tanzanian authorities also arrested an alleged ISIS Mozambique member and a Ugandan national attempting to join a terrorist group in Mozambique as a foreign fighter.

Before the operation, it said, each participating country prepared an operational plan, gathering intelligence on terror-related targets, including individuals and their known locations. Interpol and Afropol consolidated and analyzed this information and shared it with all participating countries, facilitating a significant exchange of criminal intelligence.

“During the tactical phase of the operation, each country carried out strategic investigations and raids. Police received on-the-ground support from Interpol and Afripol officers, who provided coordination, logistics, and real-time data analysis,” the international police agency said.