Homeland Security Network Blog
Senior ISIS Leader Captured In Syria, U.S. Military Officials Say
The Wall Street Journal
Senior ISIS Leader Captured In Syria, U.S. Military Officials Say
U.S.-led coalition forces detained Islamic State bomb maker in a raid
By Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan—U.S.-led coalition forces seized a man described by officials as a senior leader of Islamic State in an operation in northeast Syria late Wednesday.
Military forces detained Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, assessed to be a bomb maker and facilitator who had become one of Islamic State’s senior leaders in Syria, U.S. military officials said. They didn’t disclose more details about the raid that led to Mr. al-Kurdi’s arrest.
“The mission was meticulously planned to minimize the risk of collateral damage, particularly any potential harm to civilians,” Operation Inherent Resolve, the command that oversees operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said in a statement. “There were no civilians harmed during the operation nor any damage to coalition aircraft or assets.”
Although Islamic State, also known as ISIS, isn’t as strong as it once was, it remains a threat in the region, Central Command officials said. “This operation in northeast Syria demonstrates our commitment to the security of the region and to the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, in a brief statement.
Gen. Kurilla is on an unrelated tour in Tajikistan to meet leaders in Central Asia. It was the first known operation of any significance since the U.S. conducted a raid in February against Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, considered at the time to be the leader of Islamic State in Syria.”
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