Early Thursday morning, a bomb maker with ISIS, who was one of the senior leaders of the group in Syria, was captured as part of a U.S.-led coalition ground raid across the northwestern part of the country, as reported by the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
A defense official for the U.S. stated that there was no American military personnel injured due to the raid, stated an ABC News report.
“Coalition forces detained a senior Daesh leader during an operation in Syria June 16,” stated a recent press release from CJTF-OIR. “The detained individual was assessed to be an experienced bomb maker and facilitator who became one of the group’s top leaders in Syria.”
This press release also confirmed that no civilians were harmed as a part of the raid, and all of the equipment from the coalition was able to make it through with no damage.
“The mission was meticulously planned to minimize the risk of collateral damage, particularly any potential harm to civilians. There were no civilians harmed during the operation nor any damage to Coalition aircraft or assets,” stated CJTF-OIR.
The capture of this ISIS leader is another U.S. mission targeting the leaders of the infamous terrorist group. Back in February, White House officials stated that a different top ISIS leader had been killed, also in Syria.
“Last night at my direction, U.S. military forces in the northwest Syria successfully undertook a counterterrorism operation to protect the American people and our Allies, and make the world a safer place,” stated President Joe Biden in a release.
“Thanks to the skill and bravery of our Armed Forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi—the leader of ISIS. All Americans have returned safely from the operation. I will deliver remarks to the American people later this morning. May God protect our troops,” continued Biden.
The raid from in February happened in the wee early hours of the morning when a group of U.S. commandos hit the ground from a helicopter and surrounded a residential building situated in Atmeh. “At the beginning of the operation the terrorist target exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children. While we are still assessing the results of this operation, this appears to be the same cowardly terrorist tactic we saw in the 2019 operation that eliminated [Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,” explained a U.S. Official to The Wall Street Journal.