"Qardash is being held by Iraqi intelligence. The information he has is very important. This man is seen as a 'databank' and his capture is essentially a huge blow for [Daesh]," Yahya Rasool said.
Iraq announced Qardash's capture on Wednesday. He has long been seen as the group's second-in-command, and poised to take over after the purported death of Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria last autumn.
According to US President Donald Trump, al-Baghdadi was killed during an operation conducted by US Special Forces in Syria's Idlib back in October 2019.
Earlier in the week, two regional Daesh* leaders responsible for the group's supplies and guidance were killed in a joint operation by US-led coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Rasool said Daesh* was still active in Iraq and claimed that sleeper cells were plotting terror attacks across the country. The Iraqi military has been sharing information on Daesh* operations with Syria, Iran and Russia.
*Daesh - a terrorist organisation banned in Russia
