A top ISIS leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria after Russian warplanes harassed MQ-9 drones over the war-torn country, US Central Command said on Sunday.
According to a statement from Centcom, Osama al-Muhajar, an IS – also known as Daesh – was killed in an attack in eastern Syria on Friday.
“We have made it clear that we are committed to defeating ISIS throughout the region,” said Gen. Michael Corrella, head of CENTCOM, using another acronym for the IS jihadist group.
“ISIS is a threat not only to the region but beyond,” he added.
No civilians were killed during the operation, according to CENTCOM, but coalition forces are “reviewing reports of civilian injuries.”
Friday’s attack, according to Centcom, “was carried out by the same MQ-9s (drones) that were targeted by Russian jets in an encounter that lasted about two hours.”
U.S. airstrike targets ISIS leader in eastern Syriahttps://t.co/RtzKlBhXKE pic.twitter.com/A6IFnUGlXB
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 9, 2023
American drones taking part in operations against IS in Syria were harassed by Russian military aircraft for the second time in 24 hours on Thursday, a US commander said at the time.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexis Grinkiewicz said the planes “dropped flares in front of the drones and flew dangerously close, putting the safety of all aircraft at risk.”
In another incident on Wednesday, three Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of US drones, forcing them to take ridiculous action, with Grenkevich calling on Moscow to “stop this reckless behaviour”.
Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Backed by Moscow as well as Iran, Assad has regained much of the ground lost in the early stages of the Syrian conflict that began in 2011 when the government brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests.
Much of the rebel-held Idlib province in the north is one of the last bastions of armed resistance against the government.
As part of a global effort to counter IS jihadists, who were defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintain bases in isolated desert areas and carry out regular attacks, the United States has about 1,000 troops there. are appointed.
