The leader of Isis, Abu Yusif, has been killed in an air strike in Syria, the US Central Command (Centcom) has said.
Yusif, also known as Mahmud, was killed along with another Isis operative in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, Centcom chief Gen Michael Erik Kurilla said.
“This air strike is part of Centcom’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” he said, according to a statement posted on X.
“This strike was conducted in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians.”
The operation comes amid rising concerns that Isis could exploit a growing power vacuum in the region following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Though the group was driven from its territorial strongholds in 2019, Isis remains active in remote areas of the Syrian desert, and near Rojava in the north-east, which is controlled by the US-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
This year has seen a rapid resurgence in its activity, with the group ramping up its attacks across the Middle East and Africa.
According to Centcom, Isis claimed responsibility for 153 attacks in the first half of 2024.
The rebel fighters who deposed Assad consisted of various Islamist factions, with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerging as the dominant group poised to take control of Syria.
HTS is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former Isis ally in Iraq who parted ways with the group over its brutal tactics.
Since then, Sharaa has embarked on a charm offensive to present HTS as a moderate alternative to the Assad regime.
He has spent years combatting Isis, seeking to distance his group from its extremist reputation and positioning HTS as a stabilising force in the region.
Meanwhile, the US military have been conducting air strikes targeting Isis camps in central Syria.
More than 75 targets were struck by American fighter jets earlier this month, killing 12 militants.
Last week, Gen Kurilla visited north-eastern Syria to meet with American troops and SDF leaders.
Speaking about the ongoing situation with Isis, he warned, “I will not sugarcoat it… This is a real threat”.
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