Helicopter raid kills Islamic State officials in Syria, US says

(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. helicopter raid killed two members of the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria early Sunday morning local time, U.S. Central Command announced later that day.

Among those killed were Anas, a provincial official in eastern Syria who was involved in the group’s plotting and facilitation operations, according to a statement from Central Command, also known as CENTCOM.

CENTCOM said it appears that no civilians were hurt or killed in the raid.

“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the security and stability of the region. This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the group’s enduring defeat,” said Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson.

“The death of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East,” Buccino said.

The Islamic State group is a shell of its former self after losing its self-declared caliphate, spanning parts of Iraq and Syria, around 2017.

Still, U.S. officials say the extremists, which include thousands of fighters scattered across affiliates in Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and elsewhere, remain a threat.

Three Islamic State leaders have been killed, with the fourth, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, taking over the group last month after the death of his predecessor.