A senior official of the Islamic State (IS) organization, or Daesh, was captured during an operation this Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Syria, announced the anti-jihadist coalition led by the United States.
The official – whose identity has not been disclosed – is an “experienced bomb-maker” and one of the main leaders of IS in Syria, the coalition said.
“The operation was meticulously prepared to minimize the risk of collateral damage, in particular any potential harm to civilians,” she said in a statement.
“No civilians were injured during the operation and there was no damage to coalition aircraft or property,” she added.
After a meteoric rise in 2014 in Iraq and neighboring Syria and the conquest of vast territories, the IS saw its self-proclaimed “caliphate” overthrown under the blow of successive offensives in these two countries, respectively in 2017 and 2019. .
IS supporters, however, carry out ambushes against Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops, while continuing to carry out attacks in Iraq.
On February 3, US President Joe Biden announced the death of former ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hachimi al-Qurachi, who blew himself up during an operation by US special forces in the northwestern Syria, a region under the control of jihadists.
His death, along with that of the group’s former spokesman, was confirmed by IS on March 10.
The IS had promised to avenge the death of its former leader, calling in particular on its supporters to resume their attacks in Europe by seizing the “opportunity” of the “combat between crusaders”, in reference to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russia.
Abu Hassan al-Hachimi al-Qourachi, the new leader of the radical Sunni organization, the third of the group since its creation, has so far made little headlines.