Seven U.S. troops hurt in dramatic raid that killed numerous ISIS fighters

A dramatic military raid in western Iraq earlier this week left at least 14 Islamic State fighters dead and seven American troops wounded, according to defense officials, who disclosed the injuries Saturday and said all were in stable condition.

U.S. Central Command, which coordinates American military activity throughout the Middle East, said the operation was conducted Thursday, in the early morning hours, and designed to “disrupt and degrade” the terrorist group’s ability to plan and launch attacks in Iraq and beyond. The raid force, comprising an unspecified number of U.S. and Iraqi personnel, targeted ISIS leaders, Centcom said in its statement, though officials did not identify them by name.

U.S. officials said 15 ISIS fighters were killed. Statements from the Iraqi armed forces placed the number of dead at 14 and said their identities would be made public following DNA analysis. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

Iraqi officials said Thursday’s operation began at 4 a.m. east of Wadi Al-Ghadaf, a river bed that runs through the Anbar desert, in an area they identified as Al-Hazeemi. U.S. and Iraqi forces targeted four “secure and highly camouflaged hideouts,” they said.

“Due to the geographical difficulty of the area and to ensure the surprise of the enemy and its entrenched leaders, consecutive and surprise airstrikes were carried out on all the hideouts, followed by an airborne operation,” the Iraqi statement says.

U.S. military officials said the militants appeared ready for a fight, characterizing them as heavily armed with “numerous weapons,” including grenades and explosive belts used for suicide attacks.

The Iraqis said all four hideouts were destroyed along with the ISIS fighters’ weapons and ammunition, and that documents, computers and phones were seized.

On Saturday, Maj. Gen Tahseen Al-Khafaji, a spokesman for the Iraqi joint operations command, said that a team of counterterrorism personnel stopped a vehicle and detained two people trying to escape with documents.

Of the seven U.S. service members were wounded, a U.S. defense official said, two had to be evacuated for follow-on care. Two were injured in a fall, which was not described nor was the nature of the others’ injuries. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said all were in stable condition.

It is unclear if the Iraqis also suffered injuries.

There was no indication any civilians were hurt, Centcom said.

Thursday’s mission underscored a persistent challenge facing the 2,500 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and another 900 in neighboring Syria who are tasked with trying to stamp out the remnants of the Islamic State. And it was notable for the relatively high number of injured personnel relative to other missions.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have also contended with a dramatic surge in drone and rocket attacks by other adversaries. Iranian-backed militants have repeatedly struck bases housing U.S. troops since Israel began its military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, occasionally eliciting a military response from the Pentagon. Those groups are angry with Washington’s military and political support for Israel.

In February, after at least 165 attacks on U.S. forces since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, the Biden administration approved limited airstrikes in response and to avenge the deaths of three U.S. soldiers killed in a one-way drone strike on their base in Jordan.

The American military presence in Iraq is deeply unpopular with the country’s citizens. Washington and Baghdad have discussed a possible withdrawal of at least some U.S. troops but have yet to announce any concrete plans for doing so.

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Salim reported from Baghdad.