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Four Islamic State leaders killed in August Iraq raid: CENTCOM
Washington, Sept 14 (AFP) Sep 14, 2024
Four Islamic State group leaders were killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid in western Iraq last month, including the head of the jihadist group's operations in the country, the US military said Friday.

"This operation targeted ISIS leaders and served to disrupt and degrade ISIS' ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians," the United States Central Command, or CENTCOM, said in a statement on X about the August 29 raid.

A total of 14 IS operatives were killed -- revised from the 15 reported previously. Five US troops were wounded, with another two injured in falls.

The four leaders killed were identified as Ahmad al-Ithawi, the operations leader for the Islamic State group in Iraq; Abu Hammam, who oversaw operations in western Iraq; Abu Ali al-Tunisi, who managed technical development; and Shakir al-Issawi, who led the group's military operations in western Iraq, according to CENTCOM.

"CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, who continues to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and regional stability," General Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement.

The operation took place amid ongoing talks between Baghdad and Washington over the presence of anti-jihadist coalition forces in Iraq.

Despite Iraq's stated goal of a full withdrawal of the forces, no timeline has been made public.

The United States has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group.

CENTCOM had previously reported killing an Islamic State member Wednesday during a strike in eastern Syria. The member was reportedly in the process of planting an improvised explosive device when the strike occurred.

Coalition forces have been targeted dozens of times with drones and rocket fire in both Iraq and Syria, as violence related to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October has drawn in armed groups across the Middle East.

Last winter, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, had claimed about 175 rocket and drone attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria.

US forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against these militant factions in both countries.

jgc/aha

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