U.S. puts ISIS death toll at 10,000 in 9-month air campaign

(Image credit: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images)

published 3 June 2015

On Wednesday, at the close of an international summit in Paris on fighting Islamic State, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the 9-month-old U.S.-led air campaign has killed more than 10,000 militants. "We have seen a lot of losses within Daesh [ISIS] since the start of this campaign, more than 10,000," Blinken told France Inter radio. "It will end up having an impact."

You might have noticed the future tense. Along with criticism of the U.S.-led air campaign among U.S. conservatives, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi complained to the conference that the international community isn't doing enough to help Iraq fight ISIS. "At the start of this campaign (we) said it would take time," Blinken said. "We have conceived a three-year plan and we're nine months into it."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.