US troops launched 38 missions against ISIS in Iraq, Syria in May
US soldiers in Bradley tanks patrol an area near Syria’s northeastern Semalka border crossing with Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – US troops conducted a total of 38 missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria during May, according to US Central Command. 21 of those missions took place in Iraq, and 17 were conducted in Syria, all with partner forces, Task & Purpose reported.
31 suspected ISIS operatives were detained, and another eight were killed, according to a news release issued by the US Central Command.
20 suspected ISIS operatives detained and two killed as a result of operations in Syria and 11 operatives detained and six killed in Iraq, Task & Purpose mentioned.
The commander of the Combined Joint Task Force, Army Major General Matthew McFarlane, explained that the coalition continues to advise, assist, and enable partners to keep pressure on ISIS and prevent them from re-establishing any type of network or effective military effort, the American publication illustrated.
Iraq announced in late 2017 the liberation of all its territories from the grip of ISIS, but the authorities are constantly launching security operations to pursue remnants of the terrorist group that carry out attacks from time to time in the country.
The Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS) reported last April a decline in attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first quarter of 2023, when terrorists were still active despite their defeat.
McFarlane said last April that ISIS attacks in Iraq declined by 68 percent from the beginning of 2023 until the first week of April compared to the same period last year, i24 News reported.
In a report issued in February, the United Nations estimated that ISIS still has ‘5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters’ across Iraq and neighboring Syria, ‘roughly half of whom are fighters,’ i24 News added.