U.S. military forces conducted a rare ground raid in Syria this week, killing a senior Islamic State financier, the Pentagon’s Central Command said on Thursday. It was the second such raid in less than a month.
In a statement, Central Command said that U.S. commandos killed the Islamic State operative, whom they did not identify, on Tuesday. The operative planned attacks in Syria and Iraq, and had relationships throughout the Islamic State network in the region, the statement said.
Central Command provided few details on the ground operation or where in Syria it happened. But military counterterrorism raids — as opposed to airstrikes — have typically involved helicopter-borne Special Operations commandos, often supported by attack planes and drones.
Such ground operations are riskier than drone strikes because they put troops in harm’s way. They often mean that the target is particularly important and likely to be near civilians to try to ward off an air attack. And the location of the raid may contain sensitive information — like computer hard drives, cellphones and other data — that could help counterterrorism forces plan future raids.
“We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination, throughout the region,” Adm. Brad Cooper, who this month took over as head of Central Command, said in the statement. “Together with our partners and allies, Centcom remains steadfast in our commitment of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland.”
A U.S. military official said on Thursday there were no American casualties in the mission.
In late July, U.S. military forces conducted a raid in northwestern Syria, killing a senior Islamic State leader, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult sons in the Aleppo area.
The raids come just weeks after President Trump signed an executive order in late June that lifted most of the U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, tightening his embrace of the country’s new government despite concerns about its leaders’ past ties to Al Qaeda.
The move delivered on a surprise announcement by Mr. Trump in May during a trip to the Middle East. At a stop in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Trump met with President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria, who assumed power in December after his fighters deposed the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Mr. Trump described Mr. al-Shara as “young, attractive” and “tough,” and said Syria deserved “a chance” to rebuild after a devastating civil war that began in March 2011.
Mr. al-Shara previously led a rebel group designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.