Around 700 ISIS operatives killed in Syria and Iraq this year, says US
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Salma Hossein
- . December 30, 2022
- . Update: December 30, 2022 6:30 pm
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that around 700 ISIS suspects operating in Syria and Iraq were killed this year by a U.S.-led coalition.
Reportedly, the American military and their allies conducted 108 joint operations over the year against alleged ISIS operatives in Syria and an additional 191 joint operations in Iraq. Reportedly, the ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died this year during a raid in northwestern Syria.
According to U.S. Central Command, around 400 suspects were detained in Syria during an operation. Maj. Gen. Matt McFarlane, the top commander of the task force reportedly said that Iraqi and Syrian partner forces along with the US conducted unilateral operations to capture the ISIS suspects. According to the commander, over 10,000 ISIS fighters are held in detention facilities throughout Syria and more than 20,000 ISIS fighters are held in detention facilities in Iraq. Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, also said that the US forces also tried to prevent children from being radicalized under the pressure from ISIS.
As per CENTCOM, US forces were not injured or killed this year. CENTCOM also said that around 220 ISIS operatives were killed and 159 suspects were captured in Iraq.
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In September this year, the US carried out dozens of raids on the al-Hol detention camp in northeast Syria. Reportedly, over 27,300 Iraqis are detained in al-Hol and Roj camps.
In September this year, Turkey raided northern Syria and struck outposts operated by the Syrian army. This year, Turkey stepped up its attacks in Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria. The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said that Turkey wanted to clear terrorist groups, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, from Syria in order to establish peace in the region.
