LONDON — U.S. forces in Syria have captured an ISIS leader who U.S. Central Command says facilitated a recent prison break by detained foreign fighters.
Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal was captured during a joint operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the United States in the early hours of Sunday, CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM has linked al-Dandal to the escape of five ISIS foreign fighters – two Russians, two Afghans and a Libyan – from a detention center in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa on August 29.
The SDF has already captured two of the escapees, Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan of Russia and Muhammad Noh Muhammad of Libya, CENTCOM said. “The search continues for the three who are still at large,” it added, citing Russian Timor Talbrken Abdash, and Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar, both of Afghanistan.
“ISIS’ primary objective remains to free its currently detained fighters and thereby fuel an ISIS revival,” CENTCOM said. “CENTCOM forces, in coordination with the SDF, will continue to mitigate the risks of future escapes and ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.”
The seal of U.S. Central Command is displayed February 6, 2017, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Susan Walsh/AP, ARCHIVES
There are more than 9,000 ISIS detainees spread across 20 SDF-run detention centers in Syria. CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla has said the prisoners represent “an ISIS army in detention, literally and figuratively.”
“If a large number of these ISIS fighters escape, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond,” Kurilla said in the CENTCOM statement. “We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their home countries for final accountability.”
This is a developing story. Please check back regularly for updates.
ABC News’ Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
ABC News
