US claims to have killed 15 Islamic State members in an operation in western Iraq

Aug. 31 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late on Friday that it had killed 15 members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in a joint operation with Iraqi forces in the country.

“U.S. Central Command forces and Iraqi security forces conducted a joint raid in western Iraq in the early hours of August 29, resulting in the deaths of 15 ISIS operatives,” the U.S. military said in a post on X.

In the same message, CENTCOM stressed that “the IS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades and suicide belts,” although it asserted that “there are no indications of civilian casualties.”

Washington has revealed that the objective of the operation was to target “leaders” of the Islamic State in the area in order to “disrupt and degrade” the terrorist group’s ability to “plan, organize and carry out attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as against American citizens, allies and partners throughout the region and beyond.”

The US has also pointed out that “Iraqi security forces continue to exploit the raided sites” and has warned that IS “is a threat to the region, (its) allies and (its) homeland”, and that it “will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.”

The jihadist group has several hundred fighters spread across several mobile cells within Iraqi territory, where it has carried out several attacks in recent months, despite the territorial defeat of its “caliphate.”

During this time period, the Iraqi government has launched several operations that have resulted in the deaths or capture of dozens of suspected Islamic State members, including several described as senior members of the terrorist organization.