US raid in Syria kills senior ISIS figure near Atmeh, Idlib

A predawn U.S. raid in northwest Syria resulted in the death of a senior Islamic State figure who was seen as a leading candidate to head the group’s operations in the country, according to American officials and Syrian authorities. The assault, conducted in the town of Atmeh in Idlib province near the Turkish border, involved helicopters and drones and was described as a targeted counterterrorism operation with no American casualties reported. Accounts of the target’s fate varied in the immediate aftermath, with state media saying he was killed while attempting to escape and other sources indicating he had been captured.

U.S. and Syrian sources described a swift, tightly controlled operation. The raid began in the early hours, around 2 a.m. local time, and local forces cordoned off the neighborhood while U.S. troops conducted the assault. Neighbors reported hearing English being spoken by the assailants, and witnesses described soldiers remaining on rooftops for several hours as the raid unfolded. One resident recalled hearing a person nearby with an Iraqi accent, underscoring the cross-border nature of the fight against ISIS in the region.

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