US strike kills senior Islamic State leader in Syria
US Central Command accused Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri of plotting attacks in Europe and Turkey.
WASHINGTON — A senior Islamic State (IS) figure responsible for planning attacks in Turkey and Europe was killed in a US drone strike in Syria, the US military said on Tuesday.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the death of Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri would temporarily disrupt the group’s ability to plot external attacks. No civilians were killed or injured in the unilateral strike on Monday, CENTCOM said in a news release.
“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said in a statement. “Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.”
Roughly 900 US troops are based in northern and eastern Syria to help prevent a resurgence of IS, which overran parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 and established its so-called caliphate with Raqqa as its capital. IS lost the last of its Syrian territory in March 2019, but sleeper cells remain active in both countries.
