BAGHDAD (AP) — A man wearing an explosives belt detonated himself on Friday during an attempted arrest by Iraqi security forces in the western region of Iraq, close to the Syrian border. According to an Iraqi security official, the blast resulted in the man's death as well as injuries to two security personnel involved in the operation.

The incident took place during a raid in the al-Khaseem area of the Qaim district, which is adjacent to Syria. The official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, reported that no members of the security forces lost their lives in the explosion. However, two personnel sustained injuries and were later taken for medical treatment.

Additionally, Iraq's National Security Agency issued a statement indicating that its forces had surrounded a hideout belonging to an Islamic State (IS) security official, alongside two of his bodyguards. One of these bodyguards detonated his explosives belt, resulting in his immediate death. Details regarding the raid remain limited, as no further information was disclosed.

The Islamic State group previously held significant territory across both Iraq and Syria, famously declaring a caliphate in 2014. The organization has seen substantial losses, being declared defeated on the battlefield in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Despite this, IS continues to maintain sleeper cells that actively carry out deadly insurgent attacks in both nations, posing an ongoing security threat.

In December of the previous year, an attack in Syria resulted in the deaths of two U.S. service members and an American civilian, an incident attributed to IS. In response, U.S. military forces conducted air strikes in Syria shortly after the attack.

Furthermore, in January, U.S. and Iraqi authorities initiated transfers of hundreds of nearly 9,000 IS members currently detained in facilities operated by the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces located in northeastern Syria. These individuals are being transferred to Iraq, where the Iraqi government plans to prosecute them for their actions associated with the extremist group.