CENTCOM said US authorities carried out the precision strike in an area that was previously held by Assad authorities, with a second ISIS operative killed in the attack
ISIS leader Abu Yusif has been killed in a precision strike carried out by US authorities inside Syria – nearly two weeks after Bashar al- Assad ‘s government fell.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the killing in a statement this afternoon in which it revealed it was able to carry out the strike thanks to Assad’s departure nearly two weeks ago. The organisation said Abu Yusif, also known as Mahmud, was killed in the Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria, on December 19, and that he was one of two ISIS operatives to die that day.
The airstrike, CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, was part of its “ongoing commitment” to “disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise and conduct” attacks against US civilians and military personnel, and “our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond”.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said: “As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute. ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria.
“We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria.” The move from US officials follows the takeover of the Syrian government by former jihadist rebels who have tried to assuage the anxious international community that their more radical pasts are behind them.
The country’s new rulers are Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organisation that the UN, US, EU and UK have all designated as terrorists. HTS, previously an ISIS offshoot, moved away from the hardline organisation around 2011, and has since become an independent faction after briefly associating with al-Queda.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s new premier, is walking a delicate tightrope so he can form diplomatic links with nations that did not have formal relations with Syria under Assad’s government. US officials have previously said they plan to interfere with any plans ISIS might have to re-establish itself in Syria.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on December 9 that CENTCOM “will continue to carry out operations to degrade ISIS capabilities, even during this dynamic period in Syria”. US forces also carried out precision airstrikes in central Syria “against known ISIS camps and operatives” on December 9 during which US Air Force fighters and bombers struck “more than 75 targets”.
General Kurilla said at the time: “There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria. All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”
