US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, announced that its forces conducted a raid in Syria on 19/9, eliminating senior ISIS commander Omar Abdul Qader.
"Qader was planning attacks against the US. His death disrupts ISIS's ability to plan and execute future attacks, as well as their capacity to threaten US citizens and our partners," CENTCOM stated, without providing details about the operation.
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A US AH-64D helicopter in the Middle East in July 2024. Photo: US Army |
A US AH-64D helicopter in the Middle East in July 2024. Photo: US Army
The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service announced on the same day that Iraqi forces, in coordination with the US military, carried out the raid in Syria in the early morning hours. According to the agency, Qader commanded ISIS's foreign operations.
The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service also stated that Qader, also known as Abdul Rahman Al-Halabi, was linked to the 2013 bombing of the Iranian embassy in Lebanon, which killed 23 people. Qader was also suspected of planning attacks targeting the US and Europe.
Neither the US nor Syria disclosed the exact location of the raid or whether there were any other casualties. This is the latest in a series of operations over the past three months by the US and its partners targeting ISIS members hiding in Syria.
ISIS once controlled large swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. Iraqi armed forces, with support from an international coalition, pushed back ISIS in 2017. Two years later, ISIS was completely defeated in Syria.
Despite no longer controlling any territory, ISIS remnants remain active and continue to carry out small-scale attacks. The US, in coordination with Iraq and the Syrian Democratic Forces, primarily Kurdish militias, has launched numerous counter-ISIS operations in the Iraq-Syria border region over the past year.
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Location of Syria and Iraq. Graphic: WP |
Location of Syria and Iraq. Graphic: WP
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Task&Purpose)
