U.S. Department of Defense Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters on September 3 that “ISIS is not the threat that it was 10 years ago, but certainly something that needs to be taken very, very seriously.”

Read More: ISIS Remains Serious Threat: Pentagon Spokesperson

Previously, on August 13, the Pentagon Press Secretary told reporters that, “as evidenced by the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, [the terrorist group] does remain a threat.”

On August 29, seven U.S. soldiers were injured in a raid against ISIS conducted by U.S. and Iraqi forces. During the operation, 15 ISIS members were killed.

“Six have returned to duty for minor injuries, in some cases to include suspected TBI (traumatic brain injury),” Major General Ryder said.

“ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland. U.S. Central Command, alongside our coalition and Iraqi partners, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists,” U.S. Central Command said on August 30 about the operation.

“This operation targeted ISIS leaders to disrupt and degrade their ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against Iraqi civilians as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond,” Major General Ryder added.

“We’ll continue to work with our partners around the world, to include the Iraqis when it comes to protecting their homeland and addressing threats like ISIS.” 

Moreover, he added that there are still 9,000 ISIS detainees being held in northeastern Syria.

In a post on X, Charles Lister, a senior fellow and Director of the Countering Terrorism and Extremism Program at the Middle East Institute, said that ISIS has conducted 45 attacks in Iraq and 483 attacks in Syria in 2024.

Kurdish officials have repeatedly warned about the continuing threat of ISIS and have held regular meetings with coalition officials to discuss the threat.

On Thursday, August 22, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with Major General Kevin C. Leahy, the newly appointed commander of the U.S.-led coalition, and discussed “the current combat efforts in countering terrorism of ISIS.”

Also on August 22, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed Major General Leahy. During the meeting, both officials underlined that ISIS continues to pose a significant threat through its ongoing attacks in Iraq and Syria. 

They also stressed the importance of maintaining the international coalition’s mission and supporting cooperation between the Iraqi army and the peshmerga to defeat and eliminate ISIS.

Read More: Peshmerga and Iraqi Army Carry Out Anti-ISIS Operation

In recent years, Kurdish peshmerga forces have carried out several joint operations with the Iraqi army against ISIS in disputed territories in order to prevent a resurgence of the terrorist group.