US and coalition forces carried out a helicopter assault on an ISIS stronghold in Syria on Thursday, capturing an extremist involved in global recruitment for the terror organization.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out the operation on Wednesday in partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The ISIS operative, whom the military did not name, was involved in planning multiple ISIS operations and also served as a global recruiter.
“The capture of this ISIS operative will disrupt the terrorist organization’s threat to American citizens, our partners and innocent civilians,” said Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesman.
“ISIS continues to pose a threat to the US and its partners in the region. CENTCOM maintains a sufficient and sustainable presence in the region and will continue to counter regional security threats,” it added.
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A masked Islamic State soldier poses holding the ISIS flag in 2015.
(Story/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Women walk in the al-Hol camp that is home to some 60,000 refugees, including families and supporters of the Islamic State group, many of them foreign nationals, in Hasakeh province, Syria, on May 1, 2021.
(AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
US forces in Syria frequently work alongside SDF forces for operations in the country. CENTCOM says that no civilians were killed or injured in the assault on Wednesday, according to an initial assessment. No US or allied forces were injured either.
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Another attack by US helicopters in eastern Syria killed two ISIS militants in early December. US forces also captured six ISIS militants in a series of operations the week of December 20. CENTCOM identified one of the men as al-Zubaydi, who they identified as a senior ISIS provincial official.
US Army soldiers prepare to go on patrol from a remote combat outpost on May 25, 2021 in northeast Syria.
(John Moore/Getty Images)
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The United States has been fighting ISIS in Syria since 2015 and continues to maintain a presence in the country with approximately 900 troops stationed there.
