U.S. forces have carried out a uncommon raid in Syria in territory held by dictator Bashar Assad's regime concentrating on the ISIS terror group. CBS Information correspondent Cami McCormick mentioned the U.S. navy's Central Command would verify solely that American forces had carried out a raid in northeast Syria concentrating on a "senior" ISIS official, releasing no additional particulars.
A U.S. official advised CBS Information senior nationwide safety correspondent David Martin the raid concerned U.S. particular operations forces who swept in by helicopter. The official mentioned one particular person was killed and one other wounded, however that the navy was nonetheless working to substantiate their identities. There have been no U.S. casualties.
Syrian state tv had reported earlier that one particular person was killed within the raid by airborne forces and others have been captured. The operation was the newest U.S. effort to clamp down on ISIS jihadists who've been territorially defeated, however nonetheless handle to plan and perform assaults in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
"CENTCOM forces carried out a raid in northeast Syria concentrating on a senior ISIS official," spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino mentioned in a press release despatched to CBS Information and different shops, including that extra info could be supplied as soon as "operational particulars" have been confirmed.
Syria's state broadcaster mentioned a U.S. airborne operation involving a number of helicopters left one particular person lifeless and noticed a number of others captured in a government-controlled space of Syria's northeast, which is usually dominated by Kurdish forces who have been lengthy U.S. allies within the combat towards ISIS.
The focused village, Muluk Saray, sits solely about 10 miles south of the Kurdish-held metropolis of Qamishli, and is managed by pro-regime militias, mentioned the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.Okay.-based monitoring group that depends on an intensive community of contacts inside Syria.
Thursday's raid was the primary such airborne operation carried out in government-held territory because the begin of Syria's battle in 2011, the Observatory mentioned, including that the particular person killed within the operation "had been a resident of the world for years."
At the least two folks have been captured alive within the operation, a Syrian and an Iraqi, the monitoring group mentioned.
A village resident advised AFP that three U.S. helicopters carried the troops in for the operation. The resident mentioned the forces raided a home, killing one particular person and taking a number of others captive.
"They used loudspeakers to name on residents to remain indoors" through the operation, the resident mentioned.
The resident recognized the sufferer as Abu Hayel, whom they mentioned was not well-known within the space however believed to have been displaced from Syria's Hassakeh province.
The US leads a world navy coalition nonetheless battling ISIS in Syria. In July, the Pentagon mentioned it had killed Syria's high ISIS jihadist in a drone strike within the northern a part of the nation. CENTCOM mentioned he had been "one of many high 5" ISIS leaders.
The July strike got here 5 months after a nighttime U.S. raid within the city of Atme, which led to the dying of the general ISIS chief, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi. U.S. officers mentioned Qurashi died when he detonated a bomb to keep away from seize.
After shedding their final territory following a navy onslaught backed by the U.S.-led coalition in March 2019, the remnants of ISIS in Syria principally retreated into desert hideouts. They've since used such hideouts to ambush Kurdish-led forces and Syrian authorities troops, whereas additionally persevering with to mount assaults inside Iraq.