The leader of the Syrian ISIS terrorist organization was killed in a US airstrike, according to a statement released by the US Central Army on Tuesday.
Central Command said in a statement that a drone strike in northwestern Syria killed Maha al-Agar and injured his close associates. ISIS, also known as ISIL, has not released public comments after Al Agar’s reported death.
“This operation was extensively planned to ensure that it was carried out. Initial reviews showed that there were no civilian casualties,” the statement added.
The US Central Command said Al Agar is responsible for developing the ISIS network outside Syria and Iraq. The group has the strongest presence there.
“The dismissal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the ability of terrorist organizations to further plan and carry out global attacks,” CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino said in a statement to the press on Tuesday. Added to. regional. “
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has recorded the Syrian Civil War for about 10 years, confirmed that Al-Agar had been killed. Position On that website. It described Al Agar as a “former senior ISIS commander” who was in charge of the “Turkish-backed faction.”
And the Syrian Civil Defense Force I have written One person was killed and another injured in an airstrike on a motorcycle near Aleppo on Tuesday morning. However, the name is not provided.
Another leader was killed
About five months ago, a US attack on Atme in northern Syria killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim alkrasi. Officials said Al Krasi died after detonating a bomb to prevent him from being caught.
Under the Trump administration, the U.S. military launched an assault targeting former ISIS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019. He also died after detonating the bomb.
The airstrike takes place just one day before President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East, where he talks to leaders in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Palestinian. Biden is scheduled to land in Israel on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the United States has about 900 troops in Syria, and the Biden administration has not yet detailed a long-term plan for its mission eight years ago, but it was split mainly in the eastern part of the country by a 10-year civil war. did.
At its peak of power between 2014 and 2017, ISIS dominated millions of people, claiming responsibility for attacks in dozens of cities around the world, and triggering attacks. Al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate system in more than a quarter of Iraq and Syria in 2014, stating that the Syrian city of Raqqa is its capital.
U.S.-led coalition combat ISIS said it retained 14,000 to 18,000 members, including 3,000 foreigners, in mid-2019 after the group’s battlefield defeat, but the exact number is with ISIS itself. It’s just as elusive.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Jack Phillips is the latest news reporter for The Epoch Times, based in New York.