BAGHDAD: Two American soldiers fighting the militant Islamic State group in Iraq were killed during an operation alongside Iraqi forces, the coalition against the jihadists said on Monday.

“Two US service members were killed by enemy forces during a mission to eliminate an ISIS terrorist stronghold in a mountainous area of north central Iraq, March 8.

The two US military members, killed on Sunday, were not being publicly identified until their families could be notified, the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve said in the statement released by the command but said they had been “advising and accompanying Iraqi Security Forces”.

The deaths highlight that despite losing its territorial caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State can still pose a threat.

There was no immediate comment from Iraqi officials.

The US-led coalition has provided training and air support for Iraqi forces since 2014, after IS seized much of northern Iraq and large parts of Syria in a sweeping offensive.

The group had declared a “caliphate” and imposed a brutal form of Islamic law.

Iraqi forces backed by the coalition drove the jihadists from all urban centres in a gruelling battle, declaring victory in December 2017.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2020