U.S. Military Says Syria’s ISIS Leader Has Been Killed in Airstrike
‘EXTENSIVE PLANNING’
The U.S. military said it carried out an airstrike Tuesday that killed the leader of the Islamic State in Syria. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that Maher al-Agal was one of the top five ISIS leaders globally, and the leader in war-ravaged Syria, who worked “aggressively” to expand ISIS outside of Iraq and Syria. One of al-Agal’s close associates was severely injured in the drone strike in the northwest of the country. According to a team of first responders, the strike, which came a day before President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Middle East, hit a motorcycle. “Extensive planning went into this operation to ensure its successful execution,” Central Command said in its statement. “An initial review indicates there were no civilian casualties.”