AIR FORCE HELICOPTER CREW RESCUES FEMALE HIKER – The 943rd Rescue Group had to use night vision goggles to rescue a severely injured hiker. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/Released)
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on September 13 that four senior leaders of ISIS were killed in a recent operation in Iraq.
A total of 14 members of ISIS were killed in the operation which took place in western Iraq on August 29. U.S. troops carried out the operation jointly with Iraqi government forces.
The operation served to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the Middle East and beyond, according to CENTCOM.
The command identified the four senior leaders of ISIS who were killed in the operation as Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi, responsible for all operations in Iraq, Abu Hammam, responsible for overseeing all operations in Western Iraq, Abu-‘Ali al-Tunisi, responsible for overseeing technical development, and Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi, responsible for overseeing military operations in Western Iraq.
“CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, who continues to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and regional stability,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, in a statement.
The command noted in the statement that additional updates on the operation will be released as the post-raid assessment continues.
According to ABC News, seven U.S. troops were wounded while taking part in the operation. No losses were reported on the Iraqi side.
The U.S. maintains around 2,500 troops in Iraq and some 900 others in neighboring Syria, allegedly to combat the remnants of ISIS.
CENTCOM’s latest operation against the terrorist group came amid rising Iraqi pressure on Washington to withdraw from the country.
More than a hundred attacks have targeted U.S. forces in both Iraq and Syria since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip last year with Iran-backed armed factions claiming responsibility for most of these attacks.
The wide publicity of CENTCOM’s operation is likely meant to promote a long-term U.S. deployment in Iraq, again using ISIS as an excuse.
