U.S. soldiers patrol at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in 2022. About 2,500 U.S. troops continue to assist in the fight against the Islamic State. (Julio Hernandez/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. service members were injured Monday in a combined American-Iraqi attack that killed multiple Islamic State militants, according to the Pentagon’s top spokesman.
“My understanding is that both of them are in stable condition being treated for their injuries,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday of the injured troops. “The raid resulted in the death of multiple ISIS operatives. Post mission analysis is ongoing.”
Ryder did not provide details about the raid, including the injuries to the troops, where it happened or how many ISIS militants were killed.
U.S. officials in September announced American troops will remain in Iraq as the two countries agree to a transition of the American-led mission to defeat the Islamic State.
For 10 years, U.S.-led coalition forces have battled ISIS, since the terrorist group launched a blitzkrieg across eastern Syria and into Iraq, capturing massive swaths of both countries, including about one-third of Iraq. Then-President Barack Obama amassed the coalition to launch an air campaign against ISIS. Later that year, the U.S. began sending troops back into Iraq to train and advise Iraqi military forces to fight off the group. That campaign has continued, despite ISIS fighters having lost almost all their land in Iraq by 2017.
There are about 900 U.S. military personnel still operating in Syria where they support local Kurdish forces in preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State. There are about 2,500 U.S. military personnel in Iraq also participating in a counter-ISIS mission.
