7 US troops damage in a raid with Iraqi forces that left 15 suspected militants useless

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The USA army and Iraq launched a joint raid focusing on suspected Islamic State group militants within the nation’s western desert that killed no less than 15 individuals and left seven American troops damage, officers mentioned Saturday.

For years after dislodging the militants from their self-declared caliphate throughout Iraq and Syria, U.S. forces have fought the Islamic State group, although the casualties from this raid have been larger than in earlier ones.

The U.S. army’s Central Command mentioned the militants have been armed with “quite a few weapons, grenades, and explosive ‘suicide’ belts” in the course of the raid Thursday, which Iraqi forces mentioned occurred within the Anbar Desert.

“This operation focused ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ skill to plan, manage, and conduct assaults in opposition to Iraqi civilians, in addition to U.S. residents, allies, and companions all through the area and past,” Central Command mentioned, utilizing an acronym for the militant group. “Iraqi Safety Forces proceed to additional exploit the areas raided.”

It added: “There is no such thing as a indication of civilian casualties.”

An Iraqi army assertion mentioned “airstrikes focused the hideouts, adopted by an airborne operation.”

“Among the many useless have been key ISIS leaders,” Iraq’s army mentioned, with out figuring out them. “All hideouts, weapons and logistical assist have been destroyed, explosive belts have been safely detonated and vital paperwork, identification papers and communication units have been seized.”

A U.S. protection official, talking on situation of anonymity to debate particulars of the operation but to be made public, instructed The Related Press that 5 American troops have been wounded within the raid, whereas two others suffered accidents from falls in the course of the operation. One who suffered a fall was transported out of the area, whereas one of many wounded was evacuated for additional remedy, the official mentioned.

“All personnel are in steady situation,” the official mentioned.

It wasn’t instantly clear why it took two days for the U.S. to acknowledge it took half within the raid. Iraq didn’t say the U.S. took half within the operation when initially saying it, as politicians debate the future of having American troops in the country. There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Because the U.S. toppled dictator Saddam Hussein with its 2003 invasion of Iraq, the nation has struggled to balance relations between America and neighboring Iran. Because the Israel-Hamas warfare broke out, Iraqi militias allied to Iran have focused U.S. forces there, resulting in American airstrikes focusing on them.

At its peak, the Islamic State group dominated an space half the dimensions of the U.Ok. It tried to implement its excessive interpretation of Islam, which included assaults on non secular minority teams and harsh punishment of Muslims deemed to be apostates.

A coalition of greater than 80 nations led by the USA was fashioned to struggle the group, which misplaced its maintain on the territory it managed in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019.

Nonetheless, the militants have continued to operate in the Anbar Desert in Iraq and Syria, whereas claiming assaults carried out by others elsewhere on the earth impressed by the group. That features the 2 suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna. In the meantime, the IS department in Afghanistan is thought to hold out intensely bloody assaults.

Final month, the U.S. army mentioned the variety of assaults claimed by IS in Syria and Iraq was on track to double this 12 months, in contrast with the 12 months earlier than. IS claimed 153 assaults within the two nations within the first six months of 2024, in contrast with 121 assaults in all of 2023.

Iraqi officers say that they’ll hold the IS risk underneath management with their very own forces and have entered into talks with the U.S. geared toward winding down the mission of the U.S.-led army coalition in Iraq.

Because the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas warfare in Gaza final October, U.S. army presence within the area has turn into notably contentious.

An umbrella group of Iran-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has periodically launched drone assaults on bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, which they mentioned was in retaliation for Washington’s assist of Israel within the ongoing warfare in Gaza and have been geared toward forcing U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq.

NBC Information first reported on accidents for U.S. forces concerned within the raid.

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Related Press workers writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Boston contributed to this report.