The U.S. military and Iraqi security forces said they killed four Islamic State leaders during an August 29 raid in western Iraq that injured seven American soldiers. One of the ISIS leaders was a wanted terrorist with a $5 million bounty on his head. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) identified the slain terrorists as Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi, Abu Hammam, Abu-‘Ali al-Tunisi and Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi. In total, 14 members of the Islamic State were killed in the raid. Ithawi was “responsible for all operations in Iraq,” Hammam “was responsible for supervising all operations in western Iraq,” al-Tunisi was “responsible for supervising technical development,” and al-Issawi was “responsible for supervising military operations in western Iraq.” Al-Tunisi, whom CENTCOM identified as overseeing technical development for the Islamic State, was wanted by the U.S. government. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. According to Rewards for Justice, he was “a key leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) and the leader of production for ISIS in Iraq, including chemical weapons.” He also “conducted training for ISIS members, including instruction in making explosives, explosive vests, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Rewards for Justice wrote. “Al-Tunisi also provided advanced training in weapons development and chemical weapons manufacturing.” Despite territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State has managed to maintain a presence in some desert areas. The UN sanctions monitoring group estimates that ISIS has between 1,500 and 3,000 active fighters in these two countries, although it faces continuing casualties, desertions and recruitment difficulties. However, their actual strength is likely to be greater.
A constant threat not only in Syria and Iraq
Although the jihadist group has lost much of its territorial control, it continues to operate through decentralized cells, mainly in Iraq and Syria, using guerrilla and insurgency tactics. Then there is the issue of leadership. The current leader of ISIS is the mysterious Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, appointed caliph in August 2023, of whom there are no images and information about him is scarce and contradictory. He replaced Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who was killed earlier that year. This change in leadership follows a series of changes due to the death of previous leaders in battle or during targeted military operations. General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, stressed the United States’ commitment to the lasting defeat of ISIS, which still represents a threat to the United States, its allies and the stability of the region. A possible withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Syria by 2026 could, however, offer new opportunities for the terrorist group to reorganize in the area while in Africa and Afghanistan to name a few, it strikes every day. Last September 12, at least 14 people were killed and six others wounded in an attack carried out by unidentified gunmen, as reported on Friday by a Taliban spokesman, without giving further details. “We express deep condolences for the innocent victims of this tragic event, and we are taking serious measures to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of this cowardly act,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the group. According to Afghan broadcaster Tolonews, the attack occurred on the border between the central provinces of Daikundi and Ghur. The area is inhabited mainly by Shiite Muslims and is traditionally considered one of the safest areas. The victims had gathered to welcome pilgrims returning from Karbala, Iraq, where they had gone about three weeks earlier to celebrate Arbain, a major religious holiday.
