U.S. troops killed a man described as a senior leader with the Islamic State group, or ISIS, and his two adult sons during a raid in Syria on Friday, military officials have announced.
Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, who was identified as the ISIS leader, was killed in the operation along with his sons Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani, according to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM.
“These ISIS individuals posed a threat to U.S. and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government,” a CENTCOM news release says.
The news release did not specify what roles the three men had within ISIS.
Three women and three children at the scene of the raid were not injured during the mission, which took place in Bab, Aleppo Governorate, according to CENTCOM.
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“We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they operate,” Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of CENTCOM, said in a statement. “ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide. Alongside our partners and allies, U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”
Since 2014, the U.S. military has led a coalition against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. Although the terrorist group lost its last enclave in Syria in 2019, ISIS has not been totally defeated.
Following the ouster of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, the U.S. government has sought to improve relations with the country’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led a group that was initially affiliated with al Qaida during Syria’s civil war.
The Pentagon announced in April that the U.S. military would withdraw 1,000 troops from Syria in the coming months, reducing its presence in the country by half.
