Senior ISIS Leader Facilitating Terror Attacks Killed in US Military Helicopter Raid

A high-ranking ISIS officer and operational planner were presumably killed on Monday during an American helicopter attack in northern Syria, according to a statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

According to the CENTCOM statement, the commander organized terrorist acts in Europe and the Middle East. The raid also claimed the lives of two more "armed individuals."

General Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, said that ISIS is weakening but still capable of launching operations in the region and beyond, but the US military's "relentless campaign against ISIS" will continue, according to Fox News.

CENTCOM spokesperson Joe Buccino noted that the operation is a testament to CENTCOM's unwavering dedication to the region and the "enduring defeat of ISIS."

A Well-Executed Attack Against ISIS

According to CENTCOM, the action was well planned, and neither civilians nor American soldiers were injured during the US helicopter attack against ISIS.

A US Central Command helicopter raid in northern Syria targeted a Senior ISIS Leader. pic.twitter.com/BoenvFfbmS
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 17, 2023

Additional information will be released shortly, according to a Central Command official.

The White Helmets of Syria, a civil defense organization that works in opposition-held parts of northern Syria, claimed to have taken two victims injured in the raid to a nearby hospital. Later, local officials said that the wounded had passed away, according to DW.

White Helmets reported that a third individual perished as US soldiers landed for the helicopter attack.

According to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which partners with the US in anti-IS operations in northeast Syria, the US helicopter attack targeted a military station belonging to a Turkish-backed armed opposition organization near the Turkish border and was launched from a base in Kobani.

There are around 900 American soldiers and an unspecified number of contractors present in Syria.

Despite the defeat of the Islamic State group in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells continue to operate in the region and have been known to launch attacks on both military and civilian targets, according to Military.com.

IS gained significant ground in Iraq and Syria in 2014.