Dubai: Seven American troops were hurt in a joint raid with Iraqi commandos targeting the Islamic State group, the United States military told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The raid in the country's western region killed 15 people as forces targeted suspected militants from the Islamic State group, the American military said.
Five of the US troops were wounded in the operation, a U.S. military official said, while two others were hurt in falls. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. “All personnel are in stable condition,” the official said.
The U.S. military’s Central Command alleged the militants were armed with “numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts” during the attack, which Iraqi forces said happened in the country’s Anbar Desert. Iraq earlier announced the raids, without saying the U.S. took part.
For years after dislodging the militants from their self-declared caliphate across Iraq and Syria, U.S. forces have continued fighting the Islamic State group, though the casualties from Friday's raid were higher than others in the time since.
“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.”
It added: “There is no indication of civilian casualties.” An Iraqi military statement said “airstrikes targeted the hideouts, followed by an airborne operation.”
“Among the dead were key ISIS leaders,” Iraq's military said, without identifying them. "All hideouts, weapons, and logistical support were destroyed, explosive belts were safely detonated and important documents, identification papers and communication devices were seized.”
It wasn’t immediately clear why it took two days for the U.S. to acknowledge it took part in the raid. Iraq did not say the U.S. took part in the operation when initially announcing it as politicians debate the future of having American troops in the country.
At its peak, the Islamic State group ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom where it attempted to enforce its extreme interpretation of Islam, which included attacks on religious minority groups and harsh punishment of Muslims deemed to be apostates.
A coalition of more than 80 countries, led by the United States, was formed to fight the group, which lost its hold on the territory it controlled in Iraq and 2017 and in Syria in 2019. However, the militants have continued to operate in the Anbar Desert in Iraq and Syria, while claiming attacks carried out by others elsewhere in the world. The Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan is known to carry out intensely bloody assaults.
