- United States Airstrike on Tuesday killed Maher al-Agal, a top ISIS leader
- The Airstrike targeted the ISIS leader and
his deputy.
- Joe Biden Begins a trip to the Middle East.
A United States airstrike on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, killed
Maher al-Agal, a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) in northwest Syria.
The strike was carried out by a drone (UAV) according to a press release by the
US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Maher al-Agal was one of the top five ISIS leaders and also
the leader of ISIS in Syria. Although the drone strike targeted both al-Agal
and his deputy, only the ISIS leader has been killed while his deputy was
wounded, US says.
CENTCOM added that al-Agal was responsible for “aggressively
pursuing the development of ISIS networks outside of Iran and Syria. Violent
extremists use Syria as a haven to coordinate with their external
affiliates for their operations”.
“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the US and partners
in the region. CENTCOM maintains a sufficient and sustainable presence in the
region and will continue to counter security threats”, CENTCOM added.
Amidst CENTCOM’s report, the Syrian local media contradicts the US with the claim that the missile killed a man riding on a motorcycle. The
Syrian news added that the victim’s name is Khalid Subash. Meanwhile, Kurdish
sources had confirmed that the two men had a connection with an ISIS faction
known as Aharar a-Sharqiya.
This is not the first US major operation in the region. In
early February 2022, the US carried out a house raid that led to the death of ISIL
leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in Northeastern Syria. US troops are
still present across the Middle East on a counter-terrorism operation.
ISIS has spread its operations away from the Middle East
for years. Some terror groups in Sub-Saharan Africa like the Islamic States West
Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorizing the major parts of Northern Nigeria pledge allegiance to ISIS.
The killing of the ISIS leader in Syria came before the planned trip of the US president, Joe Biden, to the Middle East which will begin from Israel today, Wednesday, July, 13.
President Biden has arrived in Israel and will move from Israel
to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The trip is to deepen Israel’s integration in
the Middle East and normalize the relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
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