By Anas al-Bar | 2025-09-08

The "Islamic State" group's once-feared leadership structure in Iraq and Syria is crumbling under sustained pressure from Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces and their international coalition partners.

Over the past year, successive operations have eliminated senior figures, drained resources and restricted ISIS's ability to project influence.

Each setback sets the stage for further counterterrorism success and accelerates the extremists' decline, analysts told Al-Fassel.

Military analyst Safaa al-Aasam said years of training and battlefield experience have made CTS an elite force with "a high capacity to confront terrorists."

"It now leads exceptional security operations against ISIS with professionalism and expertise."

ISIS in freefall

CTS-led missions in Iraq have dismantled networks across the country.

At least 17 ISIS members were killed this year, and 35 more detained.

Among those captured was Salman Khudair Suleiman Dawood, a veteran extremist once tied to al-Qaeda.

He was arrested in August during an airborne operation in Sarhid al-Matar between Kirkuk and Salaheddine provinces, with technical support from coalition advisers.

"Remarkable victories are forcing ISIS into retreat," al-Aasam said.

He noted the extremists' declining ability to withstand military pressure, despite attempts to hide in caves or exploit Iraq's rugged terrain.

A year ago, CTS forces struck a hideout in the Anbar desert, killing 14 senior ISIS operatives -- many wearing explosive belts.

Among them were four senior leaders, including Ahmad Hamid Husayn Abd-al-Jalil al-Ithawi, responsible for all ISIS operations in Iraq, and Abu Hammam, who oversaw operations in western Iraq.

Since then, the group has suffered a steady string of losses.

Leaders eliminated

Key leaders have been killed in precision raids across Iraq and Syria.

In March, CTS forces eliminated Abu Khadija (aka Abdullah al-Rifai), the group's second-in-command and self-styled governor of Iraq and Syria, during a raid in the Anbar desert.

In July, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that senior ISIS commander Dhiya' al-Hardani and his two adult sons were killed in a raid in Syria's Aleppo province.

The US military described them as a threat to both coalition forces and Syria's new government.

"We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they are," said then-CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla in a statement on July 25.

"ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate and where they hide."

In Syria, coalition-backed operations have also struck hard.

Last month, a US raid in Atmeh, Idlib province, killed a senior ISIS figure seen as a contender to lead the group in Syria, Reuters reported.

Witnesses said helicopters and drones provided air cover as special forces closed in.

Each raid not only removes immediate threats but also undermines ISIS's ability to organize, finance and inspire future operations, the analysts said.

As its leaders fall one after another, the group's relevance in the region is steadily eroding, they added.