US, Kurdish-led forces capture ISIS leader in eastern Syria: Centcom

The raid concluded without resulting in any military or civilian causalities, according to the statement.
US troops patrol in the countryside of Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border, Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP)
US troops patrol in the countryside of Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border, Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday captured a leader of the so-called Islamic State in eastern Syria in a helicopter raid, according to the Central Command.

The raid was conducted jointly by the SDF and US forces in the early hours of Saturday, the military command said in a press release.

Having been responsible for attacks on the Kurdish-led detention centers and manufacturing improvised explosive devices, Batar, an ISIS leader of the Syrian Province, was captured during the raid, it added.

The raid concluded without resulting in any military or civilian causalities, according to the statement.

The forces have previously conducted similar raids and operations to target the remnants of ISIS in Syria. 

At least four US service members and a working dog were wounded by an explosion on Friday during a similar raid, which killed Hamza Al-Homsi, an ISIS leader, in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish forces took part in the raid as well.

At least two rockets fell near the Green Village base of the US-led coalition forces in northeast Syria on Saturday evening, without causing any causalities or material damages, according to the command.

The anti-ISIS forces have come under similar attacks, which are usually blamed on Iranian-linked militia groups in Syria.

Despite its territorial defeat in 2019, ISIS still poses a security threat to the country.

At least 63 people, including a number of soldiers, were killed on Friday in a suspected ISIS attack in the desert areas of Homs province, where they were harvesting truffles. Another 16 people were killed in the same area a week earlier.

Around 6,000 to 10,000 fighters still operate under the group’s banner in both Syria and Iraq, where they infiltrate through the porous borders, per a UN report.