The Americans, with the support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), carried out 59 counter-terrorism operations in Syria, eliminating 14 militants and detaining 92. 

 

In Iraq, the Americans, with the support of the country's armed forces and allies, conducted 137 operations against the Islamic State. Security forces eliminated 30 militants, and 74 terrorists were taken into custody.

The killed and detained jihadists included high-ranking IS commanders who were responsible for arranging terrorist attacks abroad, arms smuggling, and recruiting and training militants. According to the Pentagon, their removal from the group’s structure will reduce the IS’s ability to plan attacks in the United States and in countries participating in the international coalition.

However, the US Armed Forces admitted that in six months of 2024, terrorists carried out more than 200 attacks in Syria and Iraq alone, which already exceeds the number of IS terrorist attacks in these countries for the entire 2023. And these are just the crimes for which the Islamists have claimed responsibility. For example, in the Syrian governorate of Deraa, militants are in no hurry to claim involvement in terrorist attacks for reasons of safety of the perpetrators. Therefore, in reality, the number of attacks by the group’s militants is higher. In this regard, the Pentagon concluded that the FTO was restoring its military capabilities.

 

According to the US Armed Forces, there are about 2.5 thousand active IS militants in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, more than 9 thousand foreign jihadists are being held in prisons controlled by the SDF alone. According to the Pentagon, their repatriation is an important element for defeating the FTO.