US military targets senior ISIS leader responsible for planning terror attacks in helicopter raid

The US military has targeted a senior news/isis/index.html” id=”mol-b61fa9a0-dcf5-11ed-9205-df12ba6340cb” target=”_self”>ISIS leader in a helicopter raid in northeast news/syria/index.html” id=”mol-b625c420-dcf5-11ed-9205-df12ba6340cb” target=”_self”>Syria, according to a US Central Command spokesperson.

Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed on Twitter that US forces conducted a helicopter raid in northern Syria in the early hours of this morning.

The target was a senior ISIS Syria leader and operational planner responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe. 

CENTCOM said that the targeted individual was ‘probably’ killed and that two other armed individuals were also killed in the raid. 

It added that no US troops were wounded and no US helicopters were damaged.

A US armoured military vehicle drives on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023

Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was reportedly speaking on a phone on the outskirts of the town of Killi, in Syria’s Idlib province, when he was killed in the previous US targeted attack on April 3. Today’s raid targeted a senior ISIS leader also in northern Syria

According to CENTCOM’s assessment, no civilians were killed or injured in the raid. 

General Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla, a CENTCOM Commander, said: ‘Though degraded, ISIS remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East. We will continue the relentless campaig against ISIS.’ 

Colonel Joe Buccino said: ‘This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to the region  and the enduring defeat of ISIS.’

Buccino promised CENTCOM would provide additional details soon. 

The identity of the alleged senior leader and target has not yet been revealed.

He also said that no US forces were wounded and no US helicopters were shot down in the raid.

As part of the US’s ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq and prevent the terror organisation from growing again, the US military captured an ISIS operative and two of his associates just a week ago in eastern Syria during another helicopter raid. 

On April 3, news/article-11936101/US-military-strike-kills-senior-ISIS-leader-Syria-planning-terror-attacks-Europe.html” target=”_self”>a US drone strike in Syria killed a senior ISIS leader in charge of planning attacks in Europe, CENTCOM announced.

It confirmed the operation took out Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri – which will now ‘temporarily disrupt the organisation’s ability to plot external attacks.’ 

The terrorist was responsible for planning attacks into Europe and developing the leadership structure for ISIS, the US Department of Defense command said.

He was reportedly speaking on a phone on the outskirts of the town of Killi, in Syria’s Idlib province, when he was targeted by a Hellfire missile, according to local outlets. 

General Michael Kurilla said ISIS ‘continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond.’

‘Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.’

No civilians were killed or injured in this strike, CENTCOM said in its statement. 

The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria.