Additional Coverage:
In a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation last month, four senior ISIS leaders were killed in western Iraq, the U.S. military announced on Friday. Among those killed were the top ISIS operations leader in Iraq and the chief bombmaker, who had a $5 million bounty on his head.
The raid, which occurred on August 29, targeted four locations and resulted in the deaths of 14 ISIS fighters. Seven American service members were injured during the mission.
According to a statement from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation aimed to disrupt and degrade ISIS’s capability to plan and execute attacks against Iraqi civilians, U.S. citizens, allies, and partners globally.
CENTCOM confirmed the identities of the four killed leaders as Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi, in charge of all operations in Iraq; Abu Hammam, overseeing operations in Western Iraq; Abu-‘Ali al-Tunisi, responsible for technical development; and Shakir Abud Ahmad al-Issawi, overseeing military operations in Western Iraq.
Abu Ali al-Tunisi was recognized on the Rewards for Justice website as “the leader of manufacturing for ISIS in Iraq,” known for training ISIS members in bomb-making, including explosives, suicide vests, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He also provided advanced training on weapons and chemical weapon manufacturing.
CENTCOM noted that some of the ISIS militants encountered during the raid were armed with grenades and wearing explosive suicide belts.