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US and Iraqi Forces Kill 15 Islamic State Members in Coordinated Raid

Published by Tope Fakinlede on August 31st, 2024.

US and Iraqi Forces Kill 15 Islamic State Members in Coordinated Raid

The US military has reported the deaths of 15 Islamic State (IS) operatives during a joint raid with Iraqi Security Forces in western Iraq. The operation, which took place early Thursday, aimed to target the militant group’s leadership.

According to US Central Command (Centcom), the raid encountered IS members armed with a range of weapons, including grenades and explosive belts. Centcom confirmed that there were no civilian casualties. However, US media sources indicated that seven American soldiers sustained injuries, though Centcom has not yet verified this information.

The Iraqi military detailed that the raid involved airstrikes on suspected IS hideouts followed by an airborne operation in the desert and cave areas of the region. Centcom emphasized that the operation was intended to “disrupt and degrade” the IS group’s capacity to plan and execute attacks against Americans, Iraqis, and their allies.

Currently, about 2,500 US troops are stationed in Iraq in an advisory role, following the official end of combat operations in December 2021. Iraq had recently announced a delay in the scheduled conclusion of US military operations in the country.

This operation comes amid heightened security concerns following recent attacks linked to IS, including a planned attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, thwarted with the help of CIA intelligence, and an attack in Solingen, Germany, that resulted in three deaths and eight injuries. The IS group has also been linked to a rare shooting attack near a Shia mosque in Muscat, Oman, earlier this summer.

Despite losing significant territory in Iraq and Syria due to a US-led coalition effort, IS continues to pose a threat through online propaganda and sporadic attacks. A senior British official described the group’s status as “down but not out.”