US military confirms name of ISIS leader killed in Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – U.S. Central Command forces (CENTCOM) on late Monday confirmed that ISIS leader, Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali, was killed early Monday, in a unilateral helicopter raid in Syria.

Read More: Senior ISIS leader killed in US helicopter raid: CENTCOM

Earlier the U.S. CENTCOM confirmed they conducted a unilateral helicopter raid in northern Syria, but did not confirm the name of the ISIS leader who was killed in the operation.

CENTCOM confirms an ISIS Senior Leader was killed in a helicopter raid in northern Syria this morning. pic.twitter.com/LTTf44uFQf

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 17, 2023

“Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali is a senior ISIS Syria leader and operational planner responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe,” CENTCOM said in a statement 

“This was the ISIS leader who was killed in a previously announced unilateral helicopter raid in northern Syria today. Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali was the primary target of the raid,” the statement added.

Moreover, U.S. CENTCOM revealed that the operation was launched “after intelligence revealed an ISIS plot to kidnap officials abroad as leverage for ISIS initiatives.”

“We know ISIS retains the desire to strike beyond the Middle East," said Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson. “This raid deals a significant blow to ISIS operations in the region but does not eliminate ISIS’ capability to conduct operations.”

Both the US and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have recently stepped up operations against ISIS members.

Also on April 3, the US said they killed senior Islamic State leader Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri in Syria, who was planning attacks abroad in Europe.