Washington: The US military has announced the successful elimination of a prominent ISIS leader, Osama al-Muhajer, in an eastern Syrian drone strike, according to media reports. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement on Sunday confirming the news, stating that the strike occurred on Friday.
Michael Kurilla, the chief of CENTCOM, emphasised the commitment to defeating ISIS in the region, stating, “We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS through the region.”
CENTCOM claimed that no civilian casualties resulted from the operation; however, there are reports of a civilian injury that coalition forces are investigating. Additionally, CENTCOM noted that Russian warplanes had harassed the drones used in the attack earlier that day.
The drone strike employed MQ-9s, the same unmanned aerial vehicles that had encountered harassment from Russian aircraft for nearly two hours prior to the operation. This incident marked the second time in 24 hours that Russian military aircraft had disturbed US drones involved in anti-ISIL operations. Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich expressed concern about the reckless behaviour of three Russian jets that dropped parachute flares in front of US drones on Wednesday, forcing them to take evasive action. Grynkewich urged Moscow to cease such actions.
Russia is a vital ally of President Bashar al-Assad’s administration in Syria, while the United States maintains approximately 1,000 troops in the country as part of global efforts to combat ISIS. Although ISIS was eradicated in Syria in 2019, the terrorist group still maintains hidden locations in remote desert regions and sporadically carries out attacks.
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