Two U.S. military personnel were wounded during an Iraqi-led operation targeting senior ISIS leaders in central Iraq on Oct. 22, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The service members were assisting Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) with site exploitation when they were injured, according to a CENTCOM statement.
Both of the U.S. service members are in “stable condition,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a news briefing on Oct. 22.
“Overnight, CENTCOM and Iraqi security forces conducted a partner raid in Iraq, targeting several senior ISIS leaders. The raid resulted in the death of multiple ISIS operatives,” Ryder said when asked about reports that the Iraqi prime minister said the top ISIS leader in the country was killed.
“We do have reports of two U.S. service members that were injured. I don’t have more to provide at this time. My understanding is that both of them are in stable condition being treated for their injuries.”
During the early morning mission, the ISF, enabled by the Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR)—a multinational coalition formed by CENTCOM in 2014 to target the ISIS terrorist group—conducted strikes and follow-up raids on multiple ISIS locations.
The operation targeted several senior ISIS leaders and resulted in the deaths of at least seven ISIS operatives, according to the CENTCOM statement. The mission was aimed at disrupting and degrading ISIS attack networks within Iraq, it said.
The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service and detachments from Iraq’s National Security Service, under the supervision and planning of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, executed the raids. CJTF–OIR provided technical support and intelligence.
“U.S. Central Command, alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will aggressively pursue ISIS and other terrorists that pose a threat to U.S. forces, allies, partners, and security in the region,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said.
The operation is the latest in a series of coordinated efforts between U.S. forces and regional partners to combat ISIS. On Oct. 14, the ISF conducted precision airstrikes in northeastern Iraq that killed four ISIS members, including Shahadhah ’Allawi Salih ’Ulaywi al-Bajjari, also known as Abu Issa and as the “Wali of Kirkuk.”
He was the most senior ISIS official in northern Iraq, CENTCOM said. These strikes were also enabled by technical support and intelligence from CJTF–OIR, it said.
Earlier in the month, on Oct. 11, U.S. Central Command forces carried out airstrikes against multiple known ISIS camps in Syria. “[The strikes aimed to] disrupt the ability of ISIS to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond,” according to a CENTCOM statement.
“We are committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS because of the threat they pose both regionally and globally,“ Kurilla said earlier this year. ”We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria.”
