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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Islamic State (ISIS) senior leader was killed by a US airstrike in northwestern Syria, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday, amid a resurgence in recent ISIS attacks in the region.
CENTCOM said that its forces “conducted an airstrike in northwest Syria, June 19, that resulted in the death of a senior ISIS leader.” They stated that the precision strike that killed Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi is part of “ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland.”
ISIS, which emerged from the remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq, imposed a self-proclaimed caliphate across vast stretches of Iraq and Syria in June 2014 before a multiyear military campaign systematically dismantled its territorial control, culminating in the group’s final defeat in March 2019.
Under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the militant organization captured major cities and key infrastructure, prompting the formation of a US-led international military coalition.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” said CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper, adding that the command will “continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”
ISIS and its so-called “caliphate” were territorially defeated in Syria in March 2019 when the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces captured Baghouz, in the Syrian westernmost Deir ez-Zor province, the militants' last remaining geographic enclave.
However, the group has recently seen a resurgence following the ouster of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
