U.S. says air strike kills Islamic State leader in Syria
“The removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out attacks,” a CENTCOM spokesperson said.
A top leader of the Islamic State in Syria, Maher al-Agal, was killed by an allied air strike early Tuesday, the United States military will announce, NBC News has learned.
Maher al-Agal was one of the top four ISIS leaders overall, according to Col. Joe Buccino, spokesman for CENTCOM. His deputy was also targeted but it was not clear whether he was killed or injured, Buccino added.
“The removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out attacks,” Buccino said.
It would be the latest in a string of recent strikes against the terror group in Syria. An unnamed senior Islamic State militant group leader and bomb maker was captured in a raid last month, according to the U.S. military.
An overnight raid by United States special forces in northwestern Syria in February led to the death of the Islamic State terror group’s top leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the military said.
BY nbcnews
