US Says senior ISIS leader killed in northern Syria raid

By Mu‘az al-Hamad

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that a special operation conducted on August 19 in northern Syria killed a senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader, described as one of the group’s main financiers and planners of attacks in Syria and Iraq.

In its statement, CENTCOM said the militant maintained close ties with ISIS networks across the region, making him a direct threat to US and coalition forces as well as local stability.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, affirmed Washington’s continued commitment to pursuing ISIS operatives. “We will relentlessly hunt down ISIS terrorists throughout the region,” he said, stressing that the United States, together with its partners, remains determined “to ensure the group’s enduring defeat and protect the American homeland.”

Syrian state television cited a security source who reported that the operation involved an airdrop carried out by the US-led Global Coalition. The raid targeted a house in the town of Atmeh in Idlib Governorate, near the Turkish border. According to the source, the operation resulted in the death of Salah Noman, an Iraqi national identified as a senior ISIS commander.

Coalition forces continue to carry out joint missions in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria, where thousands of ISIS fighters remain detained following the group’s territorial defeat in 2019. These operations focus on preventing the resurgence of ISIS networks and protecting regional security.

The US military said no civilians were harmed in the operation. Investigations are ongoing to assess intelligence materials seized at the site.