2 ISIS officials killed by US forces in raid in Syria - CENTCOM

One of the ISIS officials killed in the raid was a Syrian Province official involved in plotting and facilitating Islamic State operations in the region. 

A MEMBER of ISIS waves the group’s flag in Raqqa (photo credit: REUTERS)
A MEMBER of ISIS waves the group’s flag in Raqqa
(photo credit: REUTERS)

US forces under the US Central Command (CENTCOM) killed two ISIS officials in a helicopter raid in eastern Syria early Sunday morning, CENTCOM announced in a statement.

One of the ISIS officials killed in the raid was a Syrian Province official involved in plotting and facilitating Islamic State operations in the region. 

The raid itself was the result of extensive planning, and current assessments show that no civilians were killed or injured.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, the raid included the participation of Kurdish forces and took place in the village of Al-Zer in Deir el-Zour.

"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."

Joe Buccino

AN ISIS fighter uses his phone to  lm a military parade in Syria’s northern Raqqa province in 2014 (credit: REUTERS)
AN ISIS fighter uses his phone to lm a military parade in Syria’s northern Raqqa province in 2014 (credit: REUTERS)

US CENTCOM continues to fight the threat of ISIS

"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."

The death of these ISIS officials comes just weeks after the death of ISIS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi.

According to an ISIS-affiliated Telegram channel, Quraishi was killed while "fighting enemies of God," without elaborating. 

According to the US, Quraishi was killed by rebel forces in Daraa, a city in southern Syria, the Associated Press reported.

Quraishi had only recently taken up the mantle of ISIS leadership in March after the death of his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, brother of former ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

This is a developing story.