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CENTCOM Reports: Four ISIS Leaders Killed in Iraq During August Raid

September 15, 2024 TruthUSA

The U.S. military stated that its forces eliminated 14 ISIS terrorists in a raid in western Iraq on Aug. 29, including four high-ranking ISIS leaders.

The U.S. military has identified four prominent suspects from a group of 14 ISIS terrorists killed in an operation last month in western Iraq.

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces and Iraqi Security Forces carried out a joint raid in Western Iraq on 29 August, resulting in the death of 14 ISIS operatives,” CENTCOM stated in a press release on Sept. 13.

“This operation targeted ISIS leaders and disrupted their ability to plan, organize, and execute attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners in the region and beyond.”

CENTCOM confirmed that four ISIS leaders were among those killed in the raid. The U.S. military identified them as Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi, Abu Hammam, Abu-‘Ali al-Tunisi, and Ahmad al-Issawi.

CENTCOM assessed that al-Ithawi was responsible for ISIS operations in Iraq, while Hammam oversaw activities in western Iraq. Al-Tunisi was in charge of technical developments for ISIS, and al-Issawi handled military operations in western Iraq.

“CENTCOM remains dedicated to permanently defeating ISIS, which continues to pose a threat to the United States, our allies, partners, and regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM’s commander, in a statement alongside the Sept. 13 announcement.

U.S. forces are stationed in Iraq and Syria as part of the ongoing mission to eradicate ISIS and prevent its resurgence in the region.

At its peak, ISIS controlled vast territories in Syria and Iraq. U.S. and coalition forces expelled ISIS from its last major stronghold in al-Baghuz Fawqani, Syria, in March 2019. Since then, ISIS has dispersed throughout the region and aims to regroup, according to U.S. military officials.

There has been a rise in ISIS activity recently. In July, CENTCOM reported that the number of ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria this year could double compared to 2023. From January to June this year, CENTCOM documented 153 ISIS-claimed attacks in Iraq and Syria, in contrast to 121 attacks in those countries throughout 2023.

The CENTCOM raid on Aug. 29 in western Iraq coincided with the escape of five suspected ISIS sympathizers from the detention facility near the northern Syrian city of Raqqa.

CENTCOM has increased operations to counter recent ISIS activity. U.S. and partner forces have recaptured three of the escapees from the Raqqa detention facility and launched search efforts for the remaining two. On Sept. 1, U.S. and partner forces apprehended another individual, Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, suspected of aiding the Raqqa escapees.

In a social media post on a Friday, CENTCOM announced that its forces had neutralized a suspected ISIS terrorist in eastern Syria while he was planting an improvised explosive device (IED). CENTCOM believes the deceased suspect intended to target U.S. and partner forces with the IED.

In its July report, CENTCOM estimated that around 2,500 ISIS members are still at large in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. military leaders are concerned that the at-large ISIS members may attempt to free detained members and recruit refugees and sympathizers held in camps run by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) aligned with the United States.

“Over 9,000 ISIS detainees are in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, essentially forming an ‘ISIS Army’ in detention,” Kurilla stated earlier in the month. “If a large number of these ISIS fighters escape, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond.”

The United States is working to repatriate U.S. nationals from Syria and urging other western nations to do the same to sever ISIS from potential recruiting targets.

“We will continue to collaborate with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication,” Kurilla stated last week.

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