In a helicopter strike in northern Syria on Saturday, the US military managed to seize an ISIS official, according to a Monday statement from US Central Command.
“On September 23, 2023, US Central Command forces successfully carried out a helicopter raid in northern Syria. The mission resulted in the seizure of Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, a member of the ISIS Syria Operational and Facilitation team, according to a CENTCOM press statement. Al-Fad’ani was determined to be connected to the entire ISIS network in the area.
No people were killed or hurt in the raid, the release claims.
“The capture of ISIS officials like al-Fad’ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorists from the battlefield,” CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Troy Garlock said in the release. “USCENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
Eight joint operations in Syria were carried out by CENTCOM forces and coalition allies in August, seven ISIS members were captured and one ISIS member was killed, according to CENTCOM. Throughout operations in August in Iraq, 18 agents were captured and six were killed.
In a helicopter operation in Syria in April, Hudayfah al Yemeni, another ISIS operative, and two of his companions were apprehended. He is referred to as a “ISIS attack facilitator.”
About 900 US soldiers are currently fighting ISIS in Syria as part of the ongoing mission.
