Senior Islamic State (ISIS) Leader Killed In Raid By U.S. Led Coalition Reportedly Possessed ID Issued In April By New Syrian Government

On July 25, 2025, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces carried out a raid in Al-Bab, in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate, killing a “senior ISIS [Islamic State] Leader,” Diya’ Zawba’ Muslih Al-Hardani, and his two adult sons, ‘Abdallah and ‘Abd Al-Rahman, both affiliated with ISIS. According to CENTCOM, the slain men “posed a threat to U.S. and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government.” The CENTCOM statement added that three women and three children were also at the site, but were unharmed.[1]

CENTCOM Forces Kill Senior ISIS Leader in Al Bab, Syria

Early this morning in al Bab, Aleppo Governate, Syria, CENTCOM Forces conducted a raid resulting in the death of senior ISIS Leader, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons, Abdallah Dhiya… pic.twitter.com/evxPNBaQj2

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 25, 2025

While describing Al-Hardani as a “senior ISIS leader,” CENTCOM did not specify his position within the organization. A Syrian jihadi cleric noted reports that the official ISIS spokesman, known by the alias Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari, was killed in the raid,[2] but so far ISIS has issued no official acknowledgement of this claim, nor has it been supported by other sources.

Al-Hardani Was Senior ISIS Official Responsible For Massacre Of Shu’aytat Tribe

Syrian news outlets provided information about Al-Hardani, based on a statement by the Association of Families of Victims of the Shu’aytat Massacre. According to the association, the Iraqi-born Al-Hardani aka Abu Fatimah was one of the key figures involved in the 2014 ISIS massacre that killed over 800 civilians from the Shu’aytat tribe in eastern Syria,[3] serving as the emir of the western sector of ISIS’ defunct Al-Furat Province – which comprised areas along the Euphrates in eastern Syria and western Iraq – and the chief ISIS security official in the area. He also oversaw mass executions without trials, forced arrests, and looting of civilian property. Having smuggled oil and tobacco across the Syrian-Iraqi border prior to joining ISIS, Al-Hardani enjoyed a broad network of contacts on the border area, which helped strengthen his security influence in Deir Al-Zour governorate.[4]

According to the Kurdish Rojava Network, Al-Hardani was appointed governor of ISIS’ Al-Furat Province in 2016. In that year, Iraqi forces announced targeting him with an airstrike in Al-Qa’im, near the Syrian border, but he survived the attack and fled to Turkey, later entering Syria. Rojava claimed Al-Hardani settled in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate between 2023 and 2024.[5]

Conflicting Reports: Syrian Government And Turkey, Or SDF, Collaborated In Raid

While the Coalition raid was carried out in cooperation with local forces, two conflicting narratives have emerged regarding which body participated. A factchecking outlet supporting the Syrian government – which is linked to disbanded Syrian jihadi group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) – confirmed reports that Syrian Interior Ministry forces participated in the operation, along with Turkish helicopters;[6] it should be noted that the ministry itself issued no official claim on the incident. On the other hand, the Rojava Network reported that the operation was carried out in coordination with the Anti-Terror Units (Yekîneyên Antî Teror – YAT) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).[7]

New Syrian Government Issued ID Cards To Al-Hardani And His Family

On July 25, several Syrian and Iraqi accounts on X and Telegram shared photos of ID cards issued by the new Syrian government in April, purportedly belonging to Al-Hardani and his family members.[8] According to Rojava, “these documents shed light on the extent of potential coordination between the HTS regime and ISIS.”[9]

One document, issued by the Idlib Governorate on April 24, 2025, lists nine members of Al-Hardani’s family – himself, his wife, and seven children, providing their given names and those of their father, mother, and paternal grandfather, along with their places and dates of birth, family status, sex, and nationality. The ISIS leader is listed as Diya’ Zawba’ Al-‘Ubaydi, born in Iraq’s Al-Anbar Governorate in 1979, and his wife as Nadiyah Thabet Al-‘Ubaydi, born in the same governorate in 1986. His children are listed as ‘Abdallah Diya’ Zawba’ Al-‘Ubaydi, born in 2002; Zubaydah, born in 2004; ‘Abd Al-Rahman, born in 2005; Zynab, born in 2009; ‘Abd Al-Malik, born in 2014; Ahmad, born in 2016; and ‘Abd Al-Ra’ouf, born in 2018. The first five children were born in Iraq, and the youngest two in Idlib. All nine are Iraqi nationals.

The dates and locations of the children’s births suggest Al-Hardani moved with his family to Idlib in 2016, before Ahmad’s birth on July 7.

Other documents display the personal IDs of Al-Hardani and his sons ‘Abd Al-Rahman and ‘Abd Al-Malik, with photos attached. Al-Hardani’s ID was issued on April 24 and his sons’ on April 27; all are valid for three months, expiring on July 24 or 27.

A former ISIS official, Muhammad Fayyad Al-Dhiban, who later joined Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras Al-Din and Syrian jihadi group Ansar Al-Tawhid, was reportedly killed in a U.S. drone strike in Idlib in January.[10]

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