Syria: US helicopter raid resulted in ‘probable death’ of senior IS leader, says CENTCOM

A helicopter raid by the United States forces in northern Syria early Monday (April 17) resulted in the “probable death” of a senior leader of the Islamic State militant group, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement. This also comes a week after the US military captured an ISIS operative and two of his associates in eastern Syria.

The ‘unilateral helicopter raid’

The US defence forceshad conducted a “unilateral helicopter raid in northern Syria in the early morning…targeting a senior ISIS Syria leader and operational planner,” said the CENTCOM. The IS leader who was not named was “responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe,” the US alleged.

It added, “The raid resulted in the probable death of the targeted individual” and “two other armed individuals were killed,” without identifying any of them. No civilians or US troops were hurt, said the US defence forces. “Operations against ISIS are important for the security and stability of the region,” said Colonel Joe Buccino after the raid, as per CNN.

IS “remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East,” said CENTCOM chief General Michael Kurilla, in the statement, on Monday. Meanwhile, a Turkish-backed rebel group, in a statement, said that two of its fighters were killed after they went to the site of the raid, reported AFP.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also said that the strike “targeted the building where an IS member was present” in Al Suwaydah, a village about 25 kilometres away from the border town of Jarabulus. The United Kingdom-based organisation said that the strike killed the main target and two other fighters.

The raid had resulted in the arrest of a senior IS leader and killed three people, said the SOHR, however, the US military did not mention any arrests. The Observatory said “violent clashes” took place after the helicopter landed, for the first time this year.

White Helmets

The civil defence group, Syria’s White Helmets operating in parts of northern Syria said that they had taken two injured people to the hospital who had later died, reported the Associated Press. Additionally, a third person was killed when the US forces had landed for the raid, on Monday, said the White Helmets.

Previous raid

The raidalso comes days after the US captured alleged “ISIS attack facilitator” and operative, Hudayfah al Yemeni. Notably, there are some 900 US troops in Syria, most in the Kurdish-administered northeast, in a bid to fight the remnants of IS which operate from Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

(With inputs from agencies)

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