U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 15 ISIS terrorists in a Thursday morning raid in Western Iraq that left seven American service members wounded or injured, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Friday night.
The ISIS fighters were heavily armed with various weapons, grenades and explosive suicide belts, CENTCOM stated in its Friday evening post on X announcing the raid. Seven U.S. service members were either wounded or injured during the raid, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.
“During the operation, five U.S. personnel were wounded. One of the wounded was evacuated for further treatment,” a defense official told the DCNF. “Two additional U.S. personnel were injured from falls during the operation, with one also evacuated out of theater for follow on care. All personnel are in stable condition.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a partnered raid in Western Iraq in the early hours of Aug. 29, resulting in the death of 15 ISIS operatives. The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive “suicide” belts. There… pic.twitter.com/fCOFyxtke1
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 31, 2024
In its statement announcing the raid, CENTCOM said “ISIS leaders” were targeted.
“This operation targeted ISIS leaders 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 region and beyond,” CENTCOM wrote in its post to X. “Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided. ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. U.S. CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Military raids done in partnership with Iraqi forces often involve U.S. special operations personnel, according to ABC News, but CENTCOM’s statement does not disclose which elements of the U.S. military were involved in this particular operation. There are approximately 2,500 American soldiers based in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces in their fight against ISIS.
ISIS-affiliated terrorists have already launched major attacks in Russia, Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East in 2024, and authorities thwarted an ISIS-linked group’s plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria earlier in August. Eight men from Tajikistan with ties to ISIS were arrested in coordinated raids across the U.S. in April because authorities were concerned that the men may have been plotting an attack on U.S. soil; the men had entered the U.S. via the southern border between 2023 and 2024.
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