US troops said on Sunday they had killed “a leader” of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a bombing raid in eastern Syria on Friday, according to a statement from the Central Command of the United States Armed Forces (CENTCOM).
According to the note, the IS leader who was shot was identified as Usama al Muhajir, who was leading operations in eastern Syria, and it also stated that “there are no signs of the death of any civilian in this attack”.
“We remain committed to defeating the Islamic State across the region,” said CENTCOM Commander General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, quoted in the statement.
The army also stressed that the “jihadist” group, which was territorially defeated in Syria in March 2019, “remains a threat and not only to the region” (the Middle East).
According to CENTCOM, Al Muhajir’s death will “interrupt and impair IS’s ability” to plan and carry out actions.
The command also indicated that US forces and their allies in Syria and Iraq will continue to work to “achieve the lasting defeat of the group”.
According to the statement, the bombing that killed the IS leader was carried out with MQ-9 drones, which were “pursued by Russian planes” for two hours on the same day.
Source: DN
