The US-led coalition raided a house in the town of Atme in Idlib province, northwestern Syria, targeting Salah Numan, Syrian media reported on 20/8, citing security sources. Numan, an Iraqi national, was a leader of the Islamic State (ISIS).
He was also one of the most wanted members for his involvement in building and utilizing ISIS sleeper cells in Syria, the source said.
According to Syrian media, Numan lived in the house in Atme with his family. Coalition soldiers shot Numan as he jumped from the balcony.
 |
The house in Atme, Idlib province, northwestern Syria, where the US-led coalition conducted the raid on 20/8. Photo: AFP |
The house in Atme, Idlib province, northwestern Syria, where the US-led coalition conducted the raid on 20/8. Photo: AFP
Iraqi intelligence led the operation targeting Numan. His wives were arrested.
An Iraqi security source said Numan was the brother of a senior ISIS leader who was killed in a 2020 coalition airstrike in Deir Ezzor province, eastern Syria.
The US-led coalition has not yet commented on the raid in northwestern Syria. However, 3 witnesses, including Mohammed al-Sheikh, the homeowner, said they heard aircraft and gunfire around 2:30 a.m.
Al-Sheikh said that when he went outside to check, coalition forces ordered him to surrender. They blindfolded his family, took them away, and collected their personal information, including fingerprints.
Neighbor Abdel-Qader al-Sheikh said Numan had lived in the house for 2 years, adding, "We have nothing to do with him".
The US-led coalition frequently conducts raids in Idlib targeting ISIS members, including one announced in June. Several former ISIS leaders have been eliminated in the province.
ISIS once controlled large swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. Iraqi armed forces, with support from an international coalition, defeated ISIS in Iraq in 2017. Two years later, US-backed Kurdish forces overran the last ISIS stronghold in Syria.
Despite no longer controlling any territory, ISIS remnants remain active and continue to stage small-scale attacks against Iraqi military and police. According to United Nations experts, between 1,500 and 3,000 ISIS fighters are present in Iraq and Syria.
Huyen Le (AFP)
