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US Central Command confirmed the capture of a significant Islamic State official in a helicopter raid in northern Syria.
During the operation on Saturday, US forces apprehended Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, an ISIS operative in Syria who is “assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region,” as per the CENTCOM statement.
Highlighting the strategic importance of such captures, CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Troy Garlock stated, “The capture of ISIS officials like al-Fad’ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorists from the battlefield.”
According to the US military, no civilians were harmed during the mission.
To counter the resurgence of ISIS and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, approximately 900 US troops are stationed in northeastern Syria. This capture aligns with the US’s continued efforts, including multiple helicopter raids targeting key ISIS officials over the past year.
Such operations, CENTCOM officials emphasized, significantly hinder the militant group’s capacity to organize and execute operations.
