Pentagon says Daesh leader killed in US strike in Syria

The Pentagon days Maher al-Agal, leader of Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group in Syria, was killed in a US drone strike on Tuesday. He was one of the groupโ€™s top four leaders, and the attack also targeted one of his deputies, officials say.

Al-Agalโ€™s death was announced on Tuesday by the Pentagonโ€™s Central Command (CENTCOM), the military command covering the Middle East.

CENTCOM said that the strike took place outside Jindayris in northwest Syria, an area currently under the control of Turkish-backed forces.

A deputy of al-Agal was also targeted in the strike, and was seriously injured, according to a CENTCOM statement.

โ€œThe removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the terrorist organizationโ€™s ability to further plot and carry out attacks,โ€ CENTCOM spokesman Col. Joe Buccino stated, adding, “ISIS continues to represent a threat to the US and partners in the region.โ€

The US has carried out a number of strikes and raids on senior IS personnel in northwestern Syria in recent months.

An alleged top leader of the group was detained by US forces in a raid last month, while overall IS commander Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi killed himself with a suicide vest during a raid by US special forces in the area in February.

While small groups of IS militants remain active in Syria, the groupโ€™s power and influence has been all but destroyed in recent years. While IS once commanded vast swathes of territory in Iraq, Syria and North Africa, a military campaign by the Syrian government and Russia, as well as an air campaign by the US and its allies, successfully crushed the organization from 2015 onwards.

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