Islamic State leader ‘probably killed’ in US raid

US helicopter troops targeted Monday, April 17 in northern Syria a leader of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), to which are attributed several attacks in Europe and the Middle East. This official, whose identity has not been revealed, summer “probably” killed, the US military said. Two others “armed individuals” were killed in this strike, according to a press release from the United States military command for the Middle East (Centcom).

This operation took place in the region of Soueida, not far from the Turkish-Syrian border. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), which has an extensive network of sources in Syria, “Violent clashes occurred during the raid during which two projectiles targeted the building in which an ISIS member was staying”. This man and two other fighters were killed, says the organization based in the United Kingdom, which specifies that the leader of the IS targeted came from Manbij, a region further south which is under the control of Kurdish forces.

A jihadist protected by pro-Turkish groups

Still according to the OSDH, this presumed IS commander had been under the protection ofa pro-Turkish group deployed in this border region, already targeted in April by another American raid. Since the debacle of the terrorist organization in 2019, hit hard by the international coalition, these rebels have seen an influx of many jihadists fleeing arrests.

Despite its territorial defeat, IS still carries out attacks in Syria. He again targeted shepherds and people picking truffles in the desert on Sunday, killing more than forty people. The American army has for its part carried out several strikes in recent years targeting leaders of the jihadist group in Syria. In early April, she announced that she had killed an IS leader responsible for attacks in Europe, whom she identified as Khaled Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri.