Iraq
Image of ISIS senior leader Omar Abdel Qader Bassam, known as Abdul Rahman al-Halabi, reportedly killed in a joint operatoin between Iraq an the US-led coalitoin inside Syria. Photo: Iraq's ICTS
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) announced on Friday they killed "one of the most prominent leaders" of the Islamic State (ISIS) in a joint operation with the United States-led coalition inside Syria.
"The heroes of the Counter-Terrorism Service bring you the good news of the success of a new qualitative operation that resulted in the death of the terrorist Omar Abdel Qader Bassam, known as Abdul Rahman al-Halabi, one of the most prominent leaders of the terrorist organization ISIS," it said in a statement.
The ISIS leader was killed in an air raid conducted "at dawn on Friday… inside Syrian territory, in coordination with the International Coalition Forces,” the ICTS added.
"The terrorist Halabi held the position of head of operations and external security in the organization, responsible for planning and supervising the so-called remote provinces," it added.
The ICTS said that he was "directly involved in the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Lebanon and attempts to carry out other terrorist operations in Europe and the United States, which were thwarted through precise intelligence efforts."
In November 2013, the Iranian embassy in Beirut was the target of a double suicide bombing that killed 23 people and injured 160 others.
Halabi’s death "represents a major strategic loss for the terrorist organization," the ICTS said, adding that over the past two months they have eliminated "more than six top-tier leaders of the ISIS terrorist gang."
ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian land in 2014, declaring a so-called caliphate. The group was declared territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, two years after its defeat in Iraq. Despite its military defeat, it continues to pose security risks, particularly in the vast eastern deserts of Syria.
In July , a Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson told Rudaw that an estimated 2,000 ISIS militants remain active in the Syrian desert.
Baghdad has been in talks with the interim government in Syria to boost their security cooperation, especially along their shared border and on counter-terrorism.
The US-led coalition has carried out numerous raids against ISIS operatives in Syria. ISIS emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in Atmeh in a 2022 operation conducted with Iraqi intelligence support.
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