US says Daesh leader captured in Syria raid
A top Daesh leader has been arrested in an American military ground raid in northwestern Syria, according to the US-led forces.
“Coalition forces detained a senior Daesh leader during an operation in Syria June 16,” Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement.
“The detained individual was assessed to be an experienced bomb maker and facilitator who became one of the group’s top leaders in Syria,” the statement added.
Major Youssef Hamoud, a spokesperson for the Syrian National Army, a separate coalition of rebel groups backed by Turkey, told Reuters that a helicopter raid occurred in Al-Humaira, a village located just south of the Turkey-Syria border.
He told the outlet it was the first US helicopter operation in areas under the rebel coalition’s control.
The US-led forces vowed to continue hunting the “remnants” of Daesh in the statement.
“The mission was meticulously planned to minimize the risk of collateral damage, particularly any potential harm to civilians,” the statement read.
“There were no civilians harmed during the operation nor any damage to coalition aircraft or assets,” it added.
President Joe Biden announced in February that the US had conducted a helicopter raid in northwest Syria, killing the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
That raid drew comparisons to al-Qurashi’s predecessor’s death in 2019 during the Donald Trump administration.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest in a tunnel in northwest Syria during a US attack.