US CENTCOM Says it Conducted Raid in Iraq, 15 ISIS Operatives Dead

Iraqi Army soldiers stand guard near the debris of a drone shot down by Iraq's air defenses in Kirkuk, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)
Iraqi Army soldiers stand guard near the debris of a drone shot down by Iraq's air defenses in Kirkuk, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)
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US CENTCOM Says it Conducted Raid in Iraq, 15 ISIS Operatives Dead

Iraqi Army soldiers stand guard near the debris of a drone shot down by Iraq's air defenses in Kirkuk, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)
Iraqi Army soldiers stand guard near the debris of a drone shot down by Iraq's air defenses in Kirkuk, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday its forces conducted a partnered raid with the Iraqi Security Forces in western Iraq in the early hours of Aug. 29, resulting in the deaths of 15 ISIS operatives.

"The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive "suicide" belts," CENTCOM said. It also added that there was no indication of civilian casualties in the raid.

Seven American troops were injured in the joint raid, the Associated Press reported later citing the US military.

Five were wounded in the operation while two others were hurt in falls, a US military official told the AP. "All personnel are in stable condition," the official said.

The US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the injury toll.

At least five US personnel were injured in an attack earlier this month against a military base in Iraq.

Later, Iraq's foreign ministry said that an announcement on an end date for the US-led coalition's mission had been postponed due to the "latest developments,” without identifying the developments.

Reuters reported in March that talks between the US and Iraq on ending the US-led military coalition in the country may not be concluded until after US presidential elections in November.



Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank

An Israeli soldier stands guard the near the scene of a car that exploded in the West Bank settlement of Karme Tsur, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
An Israeli soldier stands guard the near the scene of a car that exploded in the West Bank settlement of Karme Tsur, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank

An Israeli soldier stands guard the near the scene of a car that exploded in the West Bank settlement of Karme Tsur, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
An Israeli soldier stands guard the near the scene of a car that exploded in the West Bank settlement of Karme Tsur, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel's military on Saturday said its forces killed two people in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, after one infiltrated an Israeli settlement and another shot at soldiers after his car exploded.

Israel's ambulance service said two men were wounded by gunshots in the incidents. It did not identify them.

"Terrorists attempted to run over a security guard at the entrance to the community Karmei Tzur a short while ago and infiltrated the community," the military said, referring to an Israeli settlement.
Soldiers who arrived at the scene killed one assailant who had opened fire at them and were searching for others, it said.

In another incident, a car caught fire and exploded in a gas station, the military said.

It said forces sent to the scene shot and eliminated the person who exited the vehicle “and tried to attack them."

The military said it was too soon to know if the incidents were related.

Hamas issued a statement on Saturday praising what it called a "double heroic operation" in the West Bank, saying it "is a clear message that resistance will remain striking, prolonged and sustained as long as the brutal occupation's aggression and targeting of our people and land continue.”

The group, however, did not claim direct responsibility for the attacks.

Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before the war in Gaza, has escalated recently, with stepped-up Israeli military raids and settler and Palestinian street violence.