US Central Command (CENTCOM) killed Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria, in a strike in Syria on Friday, CENTCOM announced on Sunday.
“We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” said CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla. “ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.”
According to CENTCOM, there are no indications that any civilians were killed in the strike, although there are reports of a civilian being injured that the US-led coalition in Syria is assessing.
“This will disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan and conduct terror attacks. However, CENTCOM’s operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the group’s enduring defeat,” said CENTCOM.
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted drone aircraft performs aerial maneuvers over Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, US, June 25, 2015. (credit: US AIR FORCE/SENIOR AIRMAN CORY D. PAYNE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)CENTCOM says strike involved drones harassed by Russian aircraft
CENTCOM noted that the strike was carried out by the same MQ-9 Reaper drones that were harassed by Russian aircraft earlier on Friday.
On Friday, the US Air Force announced that three MQ-9 drones were harassed by Russian fighter jets over Syria over a period of two hours, with the Russian aircraft flying 18 close passes that forced the drones to react to “avoid unsafe situations.”
On Thursday, US MQ-9 drones were also disrupted by Russian aircraft which dropped flares in front of the drones and flew close to them, according to the US Air Force. The Air Force released footage of the incident.
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