8,500 Islamic State fighters killed in Iraq so far: General
WASHINGTON — The top general overseeing US military attacks on the Islamic State group in Iraq is telling a congressional panel that the militants are losing and that the US — led coalition has killed 8,500 of their fighters.
A fighter of the Islamic State group waving their flag from inside a captured government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria. Photo: AP
WASHINGTON — The top general overseeing US military attacks on the Islamic State group in Iraq is telling a congressional panel that the militants are losing and that the US — led coalition has killed 8,500 of their fighters.
Army General Lloyd Austin made the statement to the House Armed Services Committee today (March 3) in testifying in support of President Barack Obama’s request for new legal authority to execute the military campaign against the Islamic State.
Mr Austin is commander of US Central Command and is a former commander of US forces in Iraq.
He told the committee that the Islamic State has been forced to assume what he called a “defensive crouch” in Iraq, having lost the ability to capture significant new territory. AP
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