ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United State-led coalition and local forces killed 13 suspected Islamic State (ISIS) operatives in Syria and Iraq in April, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday.
Another 28 ISIS suspects were detained during joint operations between the coalition and their Iraqi and Syrian partners, CENTCOM said in its review of anti-ISIS activities for the month.
“These operations showcase our enduring commitment to the lasting defeat of ISIS and the continued need for targeted military efforts to prevent ISIS members from conducting attacks and regaining a foothold. We remain focused on building local partner forces’ capabilities to prevent ISIS resurgence,” read the statement.
In Iraq, nine suspected ISIS operatives were killed and seven others were detained during 25 partnered operations, while in Syria four were killed and 21 were arrested in ten raids, including a US-only operation.
The coalition said late last month that ISIS activities in Syria and Iraq had significantly decreased since the beginning of the year, describing the latest Islamic holy month of Ramadan as “one of the most peaceful.”
“During Ramadan we observed a significant reduction in the number of ISIS attacks compared to previous years. We assess this is due to the increased operations by our partners,” CENTCOM said on Friday.
The coalition advises and provides aerial assistance to Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against ISIS. The SDF have carried out a string of raids on ISIS in northeast Syria (Rojava), in coordination with the global coalition.
ISIS seized control of vast swathes of Iraqi and Syrian land in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019. While the group lacks any territorial presence on the ground, it still continues to pose serious security risks through bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions in both countries.
Successive leaders of the group have been targeted in their hideouts in Syria. On Sunday, Turkey announced it had killed suspected ISIS chief Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi during an operation in Jindires, northwest Syria the day before.
Farhad Shami, head of the SDF’s media centre, took to Twitter after Ankara's announcement and claimed that Qurayshi had been under the protection of Turkish forces who control northwestern Syria.
Washington has said it is unable to confirm Turkey’s claim.
