The US military and Iraq launched a joint raid targeting suspected Islamic State group militants in the Iraqi western desert that killed at least 15 people while seven American troops were hurt, officials said on Saturday.
The US military’s central command said the militants were armed with weapons, grenades and explosive belts during the battle on Thursday, which Iraqi forces said happened in the Anbar desert.
“This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as US 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.”
A US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, said some American troops were wounded while two others were injured in falls. “All personnel are in stable condition,” the official said.
It was not immediately clear why it took two days for the US to acknowledge its part in the raid. Iraq did not say the US took part when initially announcing it. Iraqi politicians are debating the future of having American troops in the country.
For years after dislodging the militants from their self-declared caliphate across Iraq and Syria, US forces have continued fighting the Islamic State group, though the casualty numbers from Friday’s raid were higher than others in the time since.
At its peak, the Islamic State group ruled an area half the size of the UK as it attempted to enforce its extreme interpretation of Islam, attacking religious minority groups and inflicting harsh punishment on Muslims deemed to be apostates.
A coalition of more than 80 countries led by the US was formed to fight Islamic State, which lost its hold in Iraq and 2017 and in Syria in 2019. 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 IS branch in Afghanistan is known to carry out intensely bloody assaults.