The US announces the “probable death” in Syria of a member of the Islamic State who planned attacks in Europe

The United States military announced Monday the “probable death” of a senior official of the Islamic State jihadist group responsible for planning attacks in the Middle East and Europe during a “unilateral attack” in northern Syria, according to Europa Press.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated in a statement that “the attack resulted in the probable death of the target” and added that “two more armed persons were killed” during the operation, without specifying where it was carried out.

It was also pointed out that “there was extensive planning before the operation to guarantee its successful execution” and pointed out that it was agreed with no casualties among American soldiers. “There is no damage to the American helicopters. We appreciate that there are no dead or injured civilians,” he specified, reports Europa Press.

CENTCOM Commander Michael Kurilla asserted that “although degraded, the Islamic State remains capable of conducting operations in the region, with the desire to attack beyond the Middle East.” “We will continue the tireless campaign against the Islamic State,” he added.

For his part, CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino emphasized that “this operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s firm commitment to the region and the permanent defeat of the Islamic State,” before assuring that “additional details will be released soon” about the said operation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London and with informants in the Arab country, indicated on its website, according to Europa Press, that the operation took place in the area the city of Jarabulus, in the province of Aleppo and within areas controlled by Turkish forces in northern Syria.

The airstrike came two weeks after the United States announced the death of a senior Islamic State official identified as Khalid Ahmad al-Jaburi in Syria. After that, Washington assured that he was responsible for planning attacks in Europe and Turkey.

During the last weeks there have been several jihadist attacks on civilians who collected truffles in various parts of the Asian country. On March 23, 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the capture of Baghouz and the fall of what is known as the Islamic State’s territorial caliphate, although the group has stepped up its attacks in recent months, particularly in the triangle between the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Raqqa.