A U.S. military operation in Iraq on Thursday killed at least 15 fighters from the Islamic State militant group, and several U.S. troops were wounded, three U.S. defense officials said, according to NBC News.
None of the injuries sustained by the half-dozen U.S. soldiers were described as life-threatening. Several were possibly head injuries, and at least one soldier suffered external injuries, defense officials said.
The operation took place Thursday in Anbar, western Iraq, officials said. Among the IS members killed were senior leaders.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement Friday evening that the raid in partnership with Iraqi security forces took place early Thursday.
The ISIS members were “armed with numerous weapons, grenades and suicide belts,” the command, abbreviated to CENTCOM, said.
“This operation targeted ISIS leadership to disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan, organize, and carry out attacks against Iraqi civilians, as well as American citizens, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” he said.
There were no reports of civilian casualties, CENTCOM said in a statement.
“Iraqi security forces continue to further exploit the locations attacked,” he said.
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