Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jul 26: In a rare ground operation, the US military eliminated a senior ISIS leader, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, along with his two sons, in Syria on Friday, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The sons, Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani, were also affiliated with ISIS. CENTCOM said all three “posed a threat to US and coalition forces, as well as the new Syrian Government.” Three women and three children present at the site were unharmed in the raid.
Ground raids by US forces are less common compared to airstrikes. However, Gen Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, stressed, “We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they operate. ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide.”
The US has been conducting anti-ISIS operations in coordination with local forces across Syria and Iraq. In May, similar missions led to the killing of two ISIS operatives and detention of two others. In March, a US airstrike killed Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, the group's chief of operations in Iraq.
This latest raid follows President Donald Trump’s controversial move to revoke the terror designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and his signing of an executive order ending US sanctions on Syria.
Despite a gradual troop reduction in Syria, the Pentagon reiterated its commitment to counterterror operations in the region.