US reports death of four IS leaders in Iraq operation

Four leaders of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group were killed in a joint operation between US and Iraqi forces in western Iraq last month, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Friday.

The operation, according to Centcom, targeted ISIS leaders and sought to disrupt and weaken their ability to plan, organize and execute attacks against both Iraqi civilians and citizens of the United States and its allies.

According to Centcom, 14 ISIS members were killed in the operation, of whom four held leadership positions, including the head of the jihadist group’s operations in the country, Ahmad al-Ithawi.

The other three leaders were identified as Abu Hammam, who oversaw operations in western Iraq; Abu Ali al-Tunisi, who was in charge of technical development; and Shakir al-Issawi, who led IS military operations in western Iraq.

The operation came at a time when Iraq and the United States are negotiating the withdrawal of foreign personnel from Iraqi territory, as Baghdad believes their presence is no longer necessary and could increase regional tensions, which are already high due to the war in Gaza.

The United States has not yet announced a timetable for the withdrawal of its troops from the anti-jihadist alliance, created in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group (IS), which has occupied many parts of Iraq.

The United States has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of the coalition against the Islamic State.