US relentless to bring terrorists to justice: Biden

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States will be relentless in its efforts to bring terrorists to justice, US President Joe Biden said in a Tuesday statement after an American drone strike killed the Islamic State’s (ISIS) Syria leader earlier in the day.

“This airstrike represents the culmination of determined and meticulous intelligence work and stands as testament to the bravery and skill of our armed forces,” read the statement from the White House.

The statement from President Biden added that the strike “sends a powerful message to all terrorists who threaten our homeland and our interests around the world,” adding that the US will be relentless in its efforts to bring terrorists to justice.

US Central Command Forces carried out a drone strike outside Jindires district of Afrin, killing the ISIS leader, Maher al-Agal, and critically injuring another top associate. 

The Pentagon added that Agal was also “responsible for aggressively pursuing the development of ISIS networks outside of Iraq and Syria.” 

ISIS has not made any comment about the death of Agal.

Agal’s takedown marks the third leader of the notorious jihadist group to be killed in northwest Syria, a region largely controlled by rebel groups backed by Turkey. 

US forces killed former ISIS top leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in a daring overnight operation on his house in Idlib, northwest Syria on February 3. He blew himself up as US forces advanced on his property.

Three years prior, longtime ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a similar US forces raid in another area of Idlib. Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest after being cornered in a tunnel with three of his children.