Four ISIS fighters were killed last week in an air strike conducted by Coalition Forces in support of Iraqi Security Forces — an announcement that comes after President Trump said Wednesday that ISIS had been “defeated.”
“The Iraqi Security Forces are relentlessly pursuing ISIS fighters wherever they hide,” U.S. Army Col. Jonathan Byrom, Joint Operations Command — Iraq deputy commander, said in a statement. “The Coalition will continue to provide support and joint fires as needed to bring about the lasting defeat of ISIS in Iraq.”
The statement said that the 20th Iraqi Army Division troops chased the ISIS fighters to a tunnel entrance in the Atshanah Mountains during a routine patrol. The Coalition-led airstrike then hit the tunnel entrance and caused four ISIS fighter casualties.
The U.S. has approximately 5,000 troops in Iraq. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that it had started to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria as part of Operation Roundup to wipe out ISIS. However, the Pentagon also said that the fight against ISIS is not complete.
The decision from Trump reportedly prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign on principle from the Pentagon, after he unsuccessfully sought to convince Trump to keep the troops in Syria.
