By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
The U.S. military said on Friday that at least 15 ISIS terrorist group fighters were killed in a joint raid with Iraqi security forces, which targeted ISIS leaders in western Iraq.
The ISIS operatives were “armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosives ‘suicide’ belts,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
CENTCOM said the joint operation was conducted to target ISIS leaders and “degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies and partners throughout the region and beyond.”
There was no indication of civilian casualties from the operation, the U.S. military said. It did not disclose whether any U.S. forces had been injured in the operation.
CENTCOM said that Iraqi security forces will continue to “further exploit the locations raided” as the ISIS terrorist group remains “a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland.”
It added that the U.S. military and its Iraqi partners will continue to “aggressively pursue” ISIS terrorists in Iraq.
The joint raid was conducted just a week after the U.S. military killed Abu Abdul Maki, a senior leader of the Hurras al-Din group — an Al Qaeda-associated force — in a “targeted kinetic strike” in Syria. CENTCOM said that Abdul Maki was responsible for “overseeing terrorist operations” in Syria.
“CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of terrorists in the CENTCOM area of responsibility who threaten the United States, its allies and partners, and regional stability,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement on Aug. 23.
US Warns of Rising ISIS Threat
CENTCOM warned last month that ISIS is on track to double the number of attacks it claimed in 2023, with 153 incidents in Iraq and Syria in the first six months of 2024, compared to only 121 last year.
The U.S. military stated that the increase in attacks could be an indication that the group is attempting a resurgence after several years of degraded capabilities.
CENTCOM stated that U.S. forces, along with Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces, have conducted a total of 196 missions to defeat ISIS and reduce its attack ability in the first half of 2024.
During these missions, 44 ISIS operatives were killed and 166 detained, with eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders were responsible for planning operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling.
CENTCOM said the removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS’s capabilities to conduct operations outside of Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. military said it will continue to pursue the roughly 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria. The United States has stationed some 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria.
Stephen Katte contributed to this report.