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Ahram Online and Egypt Independent
“US special forces successfully carried out a counter-terrorism mission in North-West Syria on Thursday”, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The raid eliminated the leader of the Islamic State, Amir Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla, known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Helicopters landed heavy gunfire and explosions which were heard during the raid around midnight in the Atmeh area near the Turkish border. Several residents reported at least 12 people were killed in the raid.
“IS fighters have been re-emerging as a deadly threat aggravated by the lack of central control in many areas”, dozen security officials, local leaders and residents in Northern Iraq said.
Jihadist groups currently operating in North-West Syria include Huras al-Din (Guardians of Religion), an al Qaeda-affiliated faction whose leaders include foreign fighters. The US has offered rewards for information leading to senior Huras al-Din leaders.
North-West Syria is the last remaining big enclave held by insurgents fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The most powerful group in the area is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Nusra Front which was part of al-Qaeda until 2016.
