Illustrative image. (Credit: U.S. Army)
On May 5, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that coalition forces and allies killed 13 ISIS operatives and detained 28 others during 35 operations in Iraq and Syria last April.
In a statement, the command said that coalition and allies killed nine ISIS operatives and detained seven others during 26 operations in Iraq. Ten other partnered operations and one unilateral operation were conducted in Syria. As a result, four operatives of the terrorist group were killed and 21 others were detained.
The command noted a “significant reduction” in the number of ISIS attacks during the holy Islamic month of Ramdan, which began on March 23 and ended on April 20, compared to previous years.
“CENTCOM is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS,” the statement quoted General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, as saying.
In Iraq, the coalition cooperates with the Iraqi military and security forces under an agreement with the government. Still, many oppose its presence. Meanwhile in Syria, the coalition occupy’s vast parts of the northern and eastern region, including several oil and gas fields, without an authorization from the legitimate government and operates with a proxy, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
CENTCOM announced in the beginning of the year that it will publish in the first week of each month an accounting of operations against ISIS from the previous month, in what appears to be an attempt to justify its presence in both Iraq and Syria.
In reality, ISIS is mainly active today in Iraq and areas held by the U.S. and the SDF in Syria’s northern and eastern regions.
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