Iraq-US joint raid targets Daesh militants, killing 15

Baghdad: A joint operation by US and Iraqi forces killed 15 Daesh (Islamic State) group militants in Iraq's western desert, with seven US troops hurt during the operation, US Central Command said.

The raid targeted Daesh (Islamic State) leaders and was carried out early Thursday morning, resulting "in the death of 15 Daesh (ISIS) operatives" with "no indication of civilian casualties," CENTCOM said.

It said the Daesh fighters were "armed with numerous weapons, grenades and explosive 'suicide' belts", and that Iraqi forces were continuing "to further exploit the locations raided".

Five US troops were wounded during the raid and another two injured in falls, a defence official said. One of the wounded was evacuated for treatment, as was one of the personnel injured in a fall.

All seven were in stable condition, the official said.

The CENTCOM statement was posted early on Saturday, hours after the Iraqi authorities put out their own statement on the raid.

The Iraqi intelligence services said "more than two months of human and technological surveillance" had allowed the identification of "four safe houses" used by the jihadists.

They said the dead "likely included senior leaders", adding that forensic tests were under way.

The suspected Daesh safe houses were all hit repeatedly from the air before helicopters landed commandos at the sites, the intelligence services said.

The Iraqi military regularly announces operations against Daesh hideouts in remote desert or mountain areas.

They are currently still carried out with the support of military advisers from a US-led coalition deployed to Iraq and neighbouring Syria a decade ago when the power of Daesh was at its peak.