Islamic State Commander Wanted Dead by U.S. and Iraqi Forces Shot Dead

In a significant operation conducted last month, Iraqi forces, alongside American troops, successfully eliminated a senior commander of the Islamic State group, along with several other high-ranking militants. This operation took place on August 29 in the western province of Anbar, according to reports from U.S. Central Command and the Iraqi military.

This coordinated effort also involved members of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the nation’s air force. Among the prominent figures killed was Abu Ali Al-Tunisi, an ISIS commander from Tunisia, who was listed by the U.S. Treasury Department with a $5 million bounty for information about him. Ahmad Hamed Zwein, serving as the deputy commander of the Islamic State in Iraq, was also confirmed dead.

U.S. Central Command went on to identify two other significant ISIS leaders who were killed in the operation. Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi was responsible for all ISIS operations within Iraq, while Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi oversaw military operations in the western region of the country.

It is important to note that this latest announcement was not the first mention of the operation. Earlier reports indicated that U.S. military and Iraqi forces had conducted a joint raid targeting suspected ISIS militants in the western desert, which resulted in at least 15 deaths, and left seven American service members injured.

In the recent report, CENTCOM confirmed that 14 ISIS operatives were killed during the operation. The Iraqi military stated that identification of these operatives was made possible through DNA testing. However, details about a 15th individual who was reportedly killed remain unclear.

Among the wounded American troops, five were specifically injured during the raid, while two others required medical attention due to falls during the execution of the operation. One soldier was evacuated from the region for further treatment after sustaining an injury from a fall.

The Iraqi military also reported that alongside the militant casualties, the operation resulted in the confiscation of various weapons, computers, smartphones, and ten explosive belts.

The Islamic State group had seized large territories at the peak of its power, declaring a caliphate that extended across significant parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. However, they faced defeat in Iraq in 2017 and subsequently lost the remaining territory in Syria by March 2019.

At the height of their control, the group ruled an area nearly half the size of the United Kingdom, imposing their extreme interpretation of Islam, which included brutal attacks on minority groups and harsh penalties for Muslims they deemed apostates.

Despite the group’s loss of territory, ISIS sleeper cells have been increasingly active in both Iraq and Syria over the past few years, leading to numerous attacks that have resulted in civilian casualties.

Earlier the same day, U.S. Central Command reported that its forces had killed a member of an ISIS attack cell in a strike carried out in eastern Syria. This individual had been engaged in the planting of an improvised explosive device, indicative of a planned attack against anti-ISIS coalition forces and their allies, including the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

In August of the previous year, the U.S. had initiated discussions aimed at transitioning American and anti-ISIS coalition forces from their traditional support roles in Iraq. Currently, there are about 2,500 U.S. troops stationed in the country, and their withdrawal will depend on the prevailing security situation and the operational capabilities of Iraqi armed forces.