A senior ISIS leader was killed in a U.S. precision airstrike in northwest Syria, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.
By Catholics for Catholics
A senior Islamic State leader was killed last week in Syria during an airstrike by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military subdivision that supervises American forces in the Middle East, according to a Wednesday announcement.
The strike, which took place on Jan. 19, killed Ali Husayn al-‘Ulaywi “and is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland,” the command said in a statement, according to a story by The Daily Wire.
The strike comes as ISIS remains debilitated, but still presents a security challenge in parts of Syria and Iraq. Security officials have cautioned that ISIS continues to function through sleeper cells and insurgent networks skilled in performing attacks and exploiting security gaps. In Syria, U.S. forces and local partners have continued targeting ISIS remnants through intelligence-driven operations, raids, and airstrikes.
CENTCOM said it continues to work with regional partners in counterterrorism operations across Syria and Iraq.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said. “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”
In 2019, ISIS lost the last territory of its self-declared caliphate in 2019, but the group has continued to be a worry for U.S. and regional forces as they work to stop its resurgence in Syria and Iraq. The continued operations call attention to the fact that ISIS no longer holds the same territorial power it once did, but is still a target of U.S.-backed counterterrorism efforts.
In February, according to The Wire, CENTCOM said U.S. forces completed a 23-day mission transferring more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody. The command said the mission was intended to help keep ISIS detainees secure and prevent a resurgence in Syria. Reuters reported at the time that U.S. officials viewed the transfer as strategically important as instability continued in northeast Syria.
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