U.S. military kills four Islamic State leaders in Iraq
The raid conducted just over two weeks ago resulted in 14 terrorists killed and seven U.S. soldiers wounded.
File image of the Embassy in Baghdad
Central Command in the Middle East (Centcom) confirmed on Friday the death of four Islamic State (ISIS) leaders in Iraq in an operation by U.S. troops in conjunction with local forces.
The four leaders killed are Iraq operations chief Ahmad Hamid Hussein Abd-al-Khalil al-Ithawi, technical development chief Abu-Ali al-Tunisi, and western Iraq operations leaders Abu Hammam and Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi.
A total of 14 ISIS operatives were killed in the raid, conducted in late August. Five U.S. soldiers were wounded in the operation, and two others had to be treated for injuries from falls.
The United States deployed some 2,500 troops in Iraq and nearly 900 in Syria as part of an international coalition created to fight ISIS, AFP recalled.
The forces of that alliance have recently been the target of dozens of drone and rocket attacks in both Iraq and Syria, while the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues.
Although Iraqi authorities declared "victory" over ISIS in late 2017, jihadist organizations continue to sporadically attack soldiers and police, particularly in rural and remote areas.
On August 15, Iraq announced the postponement of the end of the Washington-led international anti-jihadist coalition mission, justifying this delay on the "latest developments" in a tense regional context.
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