The coalition fighting ISIS has killed more than 6,000 fighters including half of the top command of the terror group, U.S. diplomatic officials said Thursday.
The number of fighters killed has not been publicly discussed before but was disclosed by the U.S. ambassador to Iraq who told Al Arabiya television earlier in the day that an estimated 6,000 fighters have been killed, saying it was having an “devastating” impact on ISIS.
The estimate calculated by U.S. Central Command finds more than 6,000 ISIS fighters have been killed in Iraq and Syria by coalition airstrikes, according to a U.S. military official. CENTCOM has kept a running estimate of fighters killed, but has not made it public.
U.S. intelligence estimates that ISIS has a total force of somewhere between 9,000 to 18,000 fighters. However, it is also believed the group can draw on thousands of other fighters whose loyalty shifts and could muster a force upwards of 31,000 total.
Until now, the Pentagon has stayed away discussing the matter, other than to estimate that thousands of fighters may have been killed. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Rear Admiral John Kirby was adamant that the US is not keeping a “body count,” and said it would be wrong to state that there is such a count.
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