Iraqi forces kill ISIS leader and eight senior members in targeted operation

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced the killing of the ISIS leader in Iraq, along with eight senior leaders, during a targeted operation. The mission, led by Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and National Security Service under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command, targeted ISIS hideouts in the Hamrin Mountains, which span the Diyala, Salah Al-Din, and Kirkuk governorates in northern Iraq.

“I congratulate the great Iraqi people on the killing of ISIS’s ‘Wali of Iraq’ and eight senior leaders in this heroic operation,” Al-Sudani said. “We commend the efforts of all our security forces and reaffirm that there is no place for terrorists in Iraq. We will pursue them to their hideouts and eliminate them until Iraq is cleansed of them and their heinous acts.”

The Joint Operations Command issued a statement following the operation, detailing months of intelligence gathering and planning. Conducted in the early hours of Oct. 22, 2024, the mission resulted in the deaths of nine ISIS members, including Jassim Al-Mazrouei, also known as Abu Abdul Qadir, who was identified as the group’s “Wali of Iraq.” “DNA tests are being carried out to confirm the identities of other key leaders,” the statement said. Security forces also discovered large stockpiles of weapons, explosives, and equipment in eight hideouts used by the group, which were subsequently destroyed.

The operation was supported by the International Coalition through intelligence sharing and was closely supervised in the field by high-ranking officials from Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service and National Security Service. Among the destroyed items was a workshop used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“This successful mission brings us closer to stabilizing Iraq and will offer some comfort to the families of those who have lost their lives,” the Joint Operations Command said. “Our efforts to track down and eliminate ISIS remnants will continue.”

Although ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks. Iraqi authorities have announced that more than 100 ISIS militants, including several senior leaders, have been killed in 2024 as part of ongoing counterterrorism operations.

A United Nations report released in July estimated that ISIS’s strength in Iraq and Syria had dwindled to between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters. Despite this, Prime Minister Al-Sudani said in September that Iraqi security forces are capable of independently handling the ISIS threat and stated that coalition forces are “no longer required” in Iraq.