An American Special Operations force has captured an Isil commander in northern Iraq in what the Pentagon hopes will be a crucial development in the fight against the extremist group.
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While Islamic State media spins its own successes in the news brief, The New York Times is reporting that the United States has captured a “significant” a significant ISIS operative in Iraq.
Mosul has been witnessing a state of alert in the ranks of ISIS for weeks, as the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army troops made new gains in the vicinity of the stranded city in a military campaign aimed at retaking Mosul -ISIS main bastion in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh province.
A USA official said the latest so-called “kill or capture” mission follows the template of the raid that targeted the Sayyafs and will be the model for such missions going forward. The worry among administration officials now, the Daily Beast reported, is that if they hand over the newest ISIS detainee to the Kurds, they won’t bring him to justice for his crimes, either.
“They re getting good stuff from him”, the official said.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook wouldn’t confirm the capture, but said the goals of the new expeditionary targeting force include capturing Islamic State leaders.
As is protocol, Defense Department officials notified the International Committee of the Red Cross, which monitors the treatment of detainees, that they were holding an Islamic State fighter.
USA officials have long said the information gleaned from her helped them decide to form a special targeting force, said CNN.
“Operations against Mosul have already started, even as we speak”, Dunford said, adding the efforts included both conventional military strikes and the use of cyber warfare.
The officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
Currently, the ETF numbers close to 200 personnel, including support staff, and is being staffed by members of the elite Delta Force, according to US officials.
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American troops raided an ISIS base in Syria a year ago to target a leader named Abu Sayyaf.
