Iraqi Forces and US Troops Kill Senior Islamic State Commander in Joint Operation

Iraqi forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group, Abu Ali Al-Tunisi, and several other prominent militants in a joint operation in Iraq's western Anbar province, the Iraqi military announced on Friday.

The operation, which began in late August, involved members of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and Iraq's air force, and resulted in the deaths of multiple high-ranking IS leaders, including Ahmad Hamed Zwein, the IS deputy commander in Iraq.

Al-Tunisi, a Tunisian national, was wanted by the US and had a $5 million bounty on his head. The operation also confiscated weapons, computers, smartphones, and explosive belts, and identified 14 IS commanders through DNA tests.

The joint raid is the latest in a series of operations targeting IS militants in Iraq and Syria, where the group has been carrying out increasing attacks despite its defeat in 2017. The US military has not commented on the August raid, but earlier on Friday, the US Central Command announced that it had killed an IS attack cell member in a strike in eastern Syria.

The operation highlights the ongoing efforts to combat IS sleeper cells in the region, with approximately 2,500 US troops remaining in Iraq to assist in the fight against the extremist group.