It’s reported that the U.S. took part in a joint effort with Iraqi forces on Saturday to eliminate key ISIS leaders in the western desert area of Iraq. Initially, Iraqi officials announced the raid without mentioning help from their U.S. counterparts, but the military’s Central Command has since come forth about their part in the task:
“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,” Central Command said, using an acronym for the militant group. “Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided.”
In the raid, seven U.S. personnel were injured, but all are reportedly in stable condition:
A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation yet to be made public, told The Associated Press that five American troops were wounded in the raid, while two others suffered injuries from falls during the operation. One who suffered a fall was transported out of the region, while one of the wounded was evacuated for further treatment, the official said.
There were no reported civilian casualties.
The militants were said to be armed with “numerous” weapons, grenades, and suicide belts. The Iraqi/American-led team was successful in destroying all the weapons, seizing documents and communication devices, and eliminating the “key leaders.”
As the AP report linked above said, the Islamic State group ruled an area half the size of the U.K. at its peak. It lost hold of its territory in Iraq and Syria in 2017 and 2019. Although diminished, it still operates in the Anbar Desert of Iraq and Syria. The group recently claimed credit for an attempted attack at a Taylor Swift concert.
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At the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, Western countries branded Hamas as the “new ISIS” in an attempt to help the world understand what our ally Israel was facing. Even though the two terrorist groups are incredibly similar, many countries united to defeat ISIS without any internal conflict. Despite some delusionally uniting to support Hamas with protests around the world and in the U.S., a great majority of people understand the dynamics and support Israel’s right to defend itself.
While 80 countries joined a coalition led by the U.S. to defeat ISIS, our ongoing military presence in Iraq has been a source of controversy, where it is reported that 2,500 troops still remain. The AP reports that Iraqi military officials believe that they can keep ISIS at bay and have entered into talks with the U.S. about winding down their presence. Regardless of the future of troops based in Iraq, the coalition between our forces and theirs has proved fruitful in this operation.
