A senior Islamic State group leader, Maher al-Agal, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in northwest Syria early on Tuesday, the United States military said.
Al-Agal was the head of ISIS in Syria, according to a statement issued by U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM.
The strike seriously wounded a senior ISIS official closely associated with al-Agal, CENTCOM added.
The statement added that Al-Agal was “responsible for aggressively pursuing the development of ISIS networks outside of Iraq and Syria.”
“The removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks,” Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in the statement.
“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the U.S. and partners in the region,” Buccino added. “CENTCOM maintains a sufficient and sustainable presence in the region and will continue to counter threats against regional security.”
The attack in Jindayris, northwest Syria, would be the latest in a string of recent strikes against the terror group in Syria. An unnamed senior ISIS leader and bomb maker was captured in a raid last month, according to the U.S. military.
An overnight raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria in February led to the death of ISIS' top leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the military said.
The news comes ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. He is due to touch down in Israel on Wednesday for a series of meetings there and in the West Bank before heading to Saudi Arabia.
