Four top ISIS leaders killed in last month’s Iraq raid, US military says

Four top ISIS leaders were killed in Iraq during last month’s raid, the US military said on Friday, in what was a rare public acknowledgment by the Pentagon of such a large-scale operation.

An initial statement by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the Aug. 29 raid resulted in the death of 15 ISIS operatives. On Friday, CENTCOM said that an ongoing post-raid assessment showed four senior ISIS leaders were killed, including the head of manufacturing for ISIS in Iraq.

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There had been a $5 million reward for information on Abu Ali al-Tunisi’s whereabouts from the US because of his work with ISIS. He is also accused of providing advanced training on weapons development and manufacturing chemical weapons.

The two leaders for ISIS operations in western Iraq were also eliminated in the partnered raid conducted with Iraqi Security Forces, CENTCOM said. Ahmad Hamid Hussein Abdel Jalil al-Ithawi, who is believed to have been responsible for all ISIS operations in Iraq, was also killed.

The New York Times reported that the raid involved over 100 US Special Operations forces and other troops alongside a smaller contingent of Iraqi forces during the pre-dawn operation. Five US troops were wounded during the operation, and another two were injured from falls, a US defense official previously told Al Arabiya English. One of the wounded and another injured were evacuated for further treatment.

US officials have said the joint US-Iraq raid was one of the largest in recent years.

“This operation targeted ISIS leaders and served 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,” CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla said the US military remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, “who continues to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and regional stability.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has publicly called for the withdrawal of US troops from the country amid continued pressure from Tehran and Iran-backed politicians and militias in the country. The US has around 2,500 servicemembers in Iraq at the invitation of Baghdad to help them counter ISIS. Another 900 are believed to be in Syria as part of the same mission.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon warned that ISIS was working to revive itself after being severely degraded in recent years due to a US-led coalition focused on defeating ISIS.

In July, CENTCOM said that ISIS was on pace this year to more than double the total of attacks they claimed in 2023.

According to the Pentagon, there are an estimated 2,500 ISIS militants at large across Iraq and Syria. And from January to June 2024, ISIS had claimed 153 attacks in both countries.

Separately, CENTCOM announced on Friday that the US military had killed an unnamed ISIS militant in eastern Syria on Thursday in a strike as he was planting an IED for a planned attack against Coalition and partner forces.

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