Photo: Sabah Arar Agence France-Presse Seven American soldiers were injured during the operation but are in “stable condition,” according to an official from the American military command.
Agence France-Presse in Washington
Published at 1:02 a.m.
- Middle East
The American and Iraqi armies carried out a raid on Thursday against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in western Iraq and killed 15 of its fighters, announced the American military Command for the Middle East (CENTCOM) on Friday, reporting seven wounded in the American ranks.
“CENTCOM forces and Iraqi security forces conducted a joint raid in western Iraq in the early hours of August 29 [Thursday], resulting in the deaths of 15 Islamic State members,” CENTCOM reported Friday night on X.
“This ISIS group was armed with numerous weapons, grenades and explosive belts. There is no indication that there were any civilian casualties,” the same source added.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The operation “targeted ISIS leaders in order to disrupt and undermine ISIS's ability to plan, organize, and carry out attacks against civilians in Iraq and against U.S. citizens, allies, and partners in the region and beyond,” the U.S. military command said.
Seven American soldiers were injured during the operation but are “in stable condition,” a CENTCOM official told AFP on the night of Friday to Saturday.
The American Command says that the Iraqi army “continues to explore the site of the raid,” without giving further details on the operation.
IS “remains a threat to the region, our allies and our national territory,” the American army also estimates.
Washington deploys around 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and nearly 900 in Syria, within the international coalition created to fight the Islamic State group.
After its meteoric rise in power in 2014 and the conquest of vast territories In Iraq and neighboring Syria, ISIS has seen its self-proclaimed “caliphate” collapse under the blow of successive offensives in these two countries.
While the Iraqi authorities proclaimed their “victory” against ISIS at the end of 2017, jihadist cells continue to sporadically attack soldiers and police officers, particularly in rural and remote areas outside major cities.
On August 15, Iraq announced the postponement of the end of the mission on its territory of the international anti-jihadist coalition led by Washington, justifying this delay by the “latest developments” in an explosive regional context.