Helicopter raid kills Islamic State leaders in Syria, US says
A US helicopter raid killed two members of the Islamic State terror group in Syria early Sunday morning local time, US Central Command said later in the day.
Among those killed was Anas, a provincial official in eastern Syria who was involved in the group’s conspiracy and facilitation operations, according to a statement from Central Command, also known as CENTCOM.
CENTCOM said it appears no civilians were injured or killed in the raid.
“ISIS continues to pose a threat to regional security and stability. This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the group’s lasting defeat,” said CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino.
“The deaths of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to continue plotting and carrying out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East,” Buccino said.
A member of the Iraqi forces walks past a mural bearing the logo of the Islamic State (IS) group, March 1, 2017, in the village of Albu Sayf on the southern outskirts of Mosul, Iraq.
Ahmad Al-rubaye/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
The Islamic State group is a shell of itself after losing its self-declared caliphate covering parts of Iraq and Syria around 2017.
Still, U.S. officials say extremists, which include thousands of fighters scattered across affiliates in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere, remain a threat.
Three Islamic State leaders have been killed, with the fourth, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, having taken over the group last month after the death of his predecessor.
ABC News
