US Delta Force begins hunting for IS leader in Iraq

The US military's elite Delta Force has begun a mission to hunt down, capture or destroy the IS leader in Iraq, after weeks of secret preparations.

Delta Force begins operations in Iraq. Illustration photo: Press TV

According to CNN, a US official said the task force has spent the past few weeks setting up safe houses, information networks and coordinating operations with Iraqi army units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter appeared to confirm the task force's operations during a press conference at the Pentagon yesterday.

“The only thing I will say is that the Targeted Expeditionary Force is in place. I expect them to be a very effective part of our surge campaign,” he said.

According to Mr. Carter, the force will conduct raids, control people and locations, and rescue hostages and prisoners of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group.Mr Carter also told reporters that the force would make IS "fear attack anywhere, anytime".

According to CNN, Delta Force plans to repeat the strategy used by special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan: gather enough intelligence to plan raids on terrorist homes and hideouts. Then, using information collected during the raid, such as laptops or cell phones, the force will try to learn more about the IS network and quickly attack related targets.

Delta Force is a US military unit that specializes in hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, as well as reconnaissance and direct strikes against high-value targets. Although it has been overshadowed in recent years by its Navy counterpart, SEAL Team 6, Delta has always attracted public attention, according to the Washington Post. They have been deployed by the US across the globe, from Colombia, where they helped track down drug lord Pablo Escobar, to Afghanistan, where they launched a major helicopter assault less than six weeks after the 9/11 attacks.

According to VNE