U.S. military takes down ISIS leader in Syria 

According to a release from U.S. Central Command, the U.S. military has taken out a senior ISIS leader and two of his ISIS-affiliated sons during a raid in Syria

The takedown  

The raid targeted Dhiya Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, a senior ISIS figure, along with his adult sons, Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani. All three “posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as the new Syrian Government,” CENTCOM claimed. The operation, which involved U.S. ground forces rather than the more commonly used airstrikes, left three women and three children at the site unharmed, according to reports.

CENTCOM statement

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they operate,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla said in the statement. “ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide.”

Recent missions 

While ground raids by U.S. forces have become rare, the U.S. continues to support and conduct anti-ISIS operations in both Syria and Iraq alongside partner and coalition forces. Earlier this year, U.S. military efforts included six operations — five in Iraq and one in Syria — which led to the deaths of two ISIS operatives and the detention of two others, including an ISIS leader, CENTCOM reported. In March, a U.S. precision airstrike in Iraq killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, ISIS’s chief of operations and Delegated Committee Emir, along with another operative.

U.S. removes forces in Syria 

The raid comes as the U.S. begins to draw down its military presence in Syria. The Pentagon recently announced it is withdrawing about half of its forces in the region, citing progress in degrading ISIS capabilities. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that following the removal, fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops will remain in the country.

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