AFP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
This year, 686 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have been killed in US-led operations in Syria and Iraq, the US military said. Another 374 IS fighters were captured.
The operations have mostly been conducted by fighters in Syria and Iraq as well as military partners working with the United States, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). A total of 313 operations were conducted, reports US Central Command:
No US servicemen were killed or injured, the US command center said. Most IS fighters have been killed in Syria: 466. At least 220 have been killed in Iraq.
The actions aim to weaken IS so that the terrorist group is less able to carry out attacks in the region and other parts of the world. Since the defeat of the IS caliphate in 2019, supporters of the Islamic terrorist group have consistently sought to revive IS.
The battle
In the fight against IS, the United States and its partners are focusing not only on active fighters, but also on the detention camps where thousands of IS fighters are imprisoned. Not only was there an outbreak in January from one of those fieldsthe US command also warns of the more than 25,000 children in the camps who risk being influenced by IS and subsequently becoming radicalised.
In both Syria and Iraq, US partners are demonstrating the “will and ability to eliminate IS fighters,” Joint Task Force commander Matt McFarkane said. “The reliable manner in which our partners in Iraq and Syria conduct operations to capture and kill IS leaders allows us to continue to exert pressure on the IS network.”
