US Helicopter Raid in Northern Syria Results in Death of Senior ISIS Leader, 2 Others
A helicopter raid by US forces in northern Syria early Monday resulted in the “probable death” of a senior leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, according to a statement by the US Central Command. While the IS leader was not named, he was said to be “responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe.” CENTCOM added that two other “armed individuals” were killed along with the target of the raid and that no civilians or US troops were hurt in the operation.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed that the operation was launched from a base near the town of Kobani and targeted a military site belonging to a Turkish-backed armed opposition group, Suqour al-Shamal, in the village of Suwayda in the region of Jarablus, near the Turkish border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the raid had resulted in the arrest of a senior IS leader and killed three people. However, the US military made no mention of any arrests.
The Islamic State group was defeated in Syria in 2019, but sleeper cells continue to maintain a presence and periodically stage attacks on military and civilian targets. At least 900 US troops are currently deployed in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors.
