American and Iraqi forces killed 15 ISIS terrorists in a joint raid in the Middle Eastern country, which also left seven US troops injured, officials said.
The operation was carried out Thursday in western Iraq and targeted ISIS leaders who were “armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on X.
“The death of 15 ISIS operatives” resulted from the raid and no civilians were injured or killed, according to CENTCOM.
Several American troops were also hurt in the operation, NBC News first reported.
Five of the US service members sustained injuries in the raid, while two others were hurt from falls, a defense official told the Associated Press.
The Iraqi military said in a statement that, “airstrikes targeted the hideouts, followed by an airborne operation.” Xinhua/Shutterstock
An Iraqi military statement said “airstrikes targeted the hideouts, followed by an airborne operation.”
“ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. US CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists,” it added in the statement.
The US has roughly 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and 900 in Syria to combat ISIS.
A coalition of more than 80 countries, led by the US, was formed to fight the terrorist group, which lost its hold on the territory it controlled in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019.
The Islamic state group that was attacked at one point during its peak ruled an area almost equivalent to half the size of the United Kingdom. AFP via Getty Images
US forces took part in a raid in Iraq that killed 15 people. gt29However, the terrorists still operate in the Anbar Desert in Iraq and Syria, and also claim attacks carried out by others elsewhere in the world.
WIth Post wires
