The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a recent statement that it had killed an ISIS leader, Abu Yusuf, also known as Mahmud, in a precision airstrike in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province. Two other ISIS fighters were also killed in the operation.
The statement explained that the strike was carried out to curb ISIS’s terrorist activities in the region. According to CENTCOM, ISIS has been planning to free over 8,000 of its fighters currently detained in Syria. However, the U.S. military is closely monitoring such attempts and targeting key leaders and planners involved in these operations.
CENTCOM further stated that, in coordination with its allies and partners, it would thwart any attempts by ISIS to regain strength in the region. It emphasized that efforts would be focused on eliminating leaders and groups plotting attacks beyond Syria’s borders.
It is worth noting that after the fall of the Assad regime, the U.S. Department of Defense increased its military presence in Syria from 900 troops to 2,000. This step was taken to prevent chaos in the region until a new government is established and the risk of instability is eliminated.
