ISIS commander tipped to become global leader killed in Iraq raid
A top Isis commander tipped to become the group’s new global leader was killed in one of the largest US counter-terror operations in years.
More than 100 US special forces and 100 Iraqi troops attacked a network of Isis compounds and bunkers in a remote part of Iraq.
During a helicopter-borne assault, several American soldiers were wounded and 14 Isis operatives were killed in total, US officials said.
Among the dead were a number of senior Isis leaders, including one of its most significant designers, manufactures and teachers of explosives.
The raid took place in volatile Anbar province, a vast tribal region bordering Syria that was the site of some of Iraq’s bloodiest post-2003 battles.
In a statement, US Central Command said that Isis leaders Ahmad al-Ithawi, Abu Hammam, Ali al-Tunisi and Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi were killed in Anbar province on Aug 29 during a mission conducted in partnership with Iraqi security forces.
“The raid appears to have effectively killed off Isis’ entire command in Anbar,” said Charles Lister, a counterterror expert from leading Washington-based think tank The Middle East Institute.
“The death of Ahmed al-Ithawi is a hugely consequential achievement. He has been a prime candidate for Isis global leadership in recent years.”
Ali al-Tunisi, who was the subject of a $5 million (£3.8 million) reward from the US government, was an expert in improvised explosive devices, suicide vests and car bombs.
The raid came as the US and Iraqi officials said they had concluded a deal that would see American troops leave Iraq by 2026.
“The first phase will begin this year and continue until 2025, while the second phase will conclude in 2026,” Iraqi defence minister Thabit Al Abassi told Saudi television.
The 2,500 strong contingent of US troops in Iraq are tasked with destroying remnants of the Islamic State, a mission that has grown in urgency due to an increase in Isis attacks in Iraq and Syria and the growing influence of Iran on Iraqi internal politics.
According to the Washington Post, the raid was unusual for the high number of US troops involved in leading the assault directly.
Though Isis has claimed responsibility for 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria thus far this year, Iraqi political and military leaders, including prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, have vowed to keep the Isis threat under control without US assistance.
Mr Sudani has been under pressure from Iran, and its allies inside Iraq, to reduce the US military presence in the country.
The Iraqi military statement on the raid barely acknowledged US assistance and instead referred to “coordination from the international coalition”.
Source » msn.com
