A rare US military ground attack in northwestern Syria has captured a senior ISIL leader, according to the US-led coalition to fight IS.
A U.S. defense official said no U.S. military personnel were injured or injured in the planes involved in the attack. The ISIS leader was not identified immediately.
“Coalition forces detained a high-ranking Daesh leader during an operation in Syria on June 16th,” said a statement from Operation Inherent Resolve. “The detainee was assessed as an experienced bomb maker and facilitator who has become one of the group’s top leaders in Syria.
US ground raids on northwestern Syria are risky because they are carried out far west of US bases in eastern Syria in areas controlled by either extremists or the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The mission was carefully planned to minimize the risk of collateral damage, especially any potential damage to civilians,” the OIR said. “There were no civilian casualties during the operation, no damage to aircraft or coalition property.
US military ground operations in northwestern Syria have targeted senior ISIL leaders, most notably Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who committed suicide during an attack near the Turkish border in October 2019 by Delta’s elite forces.
His successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, blew himself up during a similar attack in February this year.
“Coalition forces will continue to hunt down the remnants of Daesh, wherever they hide, to ensure their permanent defeat,” added Operation Intrinsic Determination. Daesh is another name used to describe ISIS.
The terrorist group was militarily routed in Syria in 2019, and since then its leaders have fled to prevent an attack by US forces.
However, ISIS fighters have maintained low-level insurgency in Iraq and Syria, and the group continues to inspire Western followers to carry out violent attacks.
In January, ISIS conducted its largest operation since its military defeat, as hundreds of ISIS fighters tried to release thousands of terrorist fighters detained at the Hasaka prison in northeastern Syria.
After 10 days of heavy fighting, US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, aided by US air strikes, have managed to regain their prison, although several hundred ISIS prisoners are believed to have escaped.
Kurdish forces say 374 ISIS fighters were killed while trying to escape from prison.
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