Agencies
Washington
The US military on Friday said that 15 operatives of the extremist militia organization Islamic State were killed in a raid in western Iraq.
The raid was conducted by Iraqi forces and the US regional command CENTCOM in the early hours of Thursday.
The command said that the militants were “armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts,” adding there were initially no indications of civilian casualties.
The statement did not mention whether there were casualties among the US and Iraqi ranks.
CENTCOM said the operation targeted leader of the militia in order to “disrupt and degrade” its “ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as US citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond.”
The US military warned that Islamic State “remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. US CENTCOM alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.”
Iraq hosts about 2,500 US soldiers and also has Iran-aligned militias linked to its security forces.
There are about 900 US soldiers in Syria as part of the coalition against ISIS.
