CENTCOM: Four Senior ISIS Members Killed in Iraq in August

The U.S. Army announced that late last month, August, four senior members of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed in U.S. operations in western Iraq. The official statement from CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command in the region, was published on Friday, September 23. CENTCOM identified one of the four as "Ahmad Hamid Hussein Abduljalil Al-Ithawi," who was responsible for ISIS operations in Iraq. The other three included "Abu Hamam," who oversaw all operations in the western part of the country, "Abu Ali Al-Tunisi," who supervised technical development, and "Shakir Abdul Ahmad," who was responsible for military operations in western Iraq. General Michael Eric Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, stated in this announcement: "CENTCOM is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, which continues to threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and regional stability." In a joint operation between the U.S. and Iraq, 15 ISIS members were killed. CENTCOM had previously announced that the United States, in cooperation with Iraqi security forces, attacked ISIS positions in western Iraq on August 29, killing more than 12 members of the group who were "armed with weapons, grenades, and suicide belts." Seven American soldiers were also injured during this attack. According to CENTCOM, there were no indications of civilian casualties in this operation. CNN had previously reported that amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iraq postponed the announcement of the end date for the presence of the U.S.-led military coalition in the country. The United States currently has approximately 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, who have been operating in an advisory and assistance capacity since December 2021, when the U.S. military announced the end of its operational role in the country.