U.S. forces conducted three helicopter raids in eastern Syria that resulted in the detention of six Islamic State operatives, according to a Tuesday statement from U.S. Central Command.
The three raids occurred “over the last 48 hours,” and one of the ISIS fighters detained was identified as al Zubaydi, whom CENTCOM described as “an Islamic State Syria Province Senior Official involved in the planning and facilitation of ISIS attacks in Syria.”
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“These partnered operations reaffirm CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to the region and the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “The capture of these ISIS operatives will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks.”
CENTCOM’s initial assessment was that no civilians were killed or injured.
Last late week, CENTCOM said U.S. forces, along with their Syrian allies, apprehended five ISIS operatives during six operations over the previous week.
The two allied forces resumed operations on Dec. 8, and in the week since then, they “have conducted six partnered operations, resulting in the detention of five ISIS operatives involved in planning attacks on detention facilities holding ISIS fighters and on the Al Hol camp,” Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for CENTCOM, said in a statement referring to the Syrian refugee camp.
Additionally, U.S. forces killed two ISIS officials in a helicopter raid earlier this month in eastern Syria. CENTCOM identified one of the two ISIS operatives who were killed in the raid, Anas, as a person whom it describes as “an ISIS Syria Province official who was involved in the group’s deadly plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria.”
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The Syrian Democratic Forces also thwarted a suicide bombing attempt at the camp in late September, though four ISIS fighters were killed in the incident. Weeks earlier, the SDF arrested “dozens of ISIS operatives” while conducting security operations at the refugee camp, and a CENTCOM spokesperson said at the time that the arrests led to the “dissolution of a major ISIS facilitation network both within the camp and throughout Syria.”
