The targeted individual is believed to be responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe, according to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM) that did not name said individual.
“The raid resulted in the probable death of the targeted individual,” reads the statement. Two other people were confirmed killed in the raid.
“This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to the region and the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson, adding that they will provide additional details about the operation soon.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 when the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and international allies took the group’s last bastion in Baghouz, eastern Syria. However, the terror group continues to pose a serious threat in the region, carrying out hit-and-run attacks, abductions, and bombings.
About a thousand US troops stationed in Syria are part of an international coalition against ISIS. The coalition has been an ally of the SDF since 2017, providing the forces with weapons, military equipment, and advisers.
On Sunday the coalition announced the arrest of an ISIS operative in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, labelling the operation as a “hindrance” to ISIS in the region. And on Wednesday, CENTCOM said it detained three ISIS members in eastern Syria.
