SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.S. military on Monday killed senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri in Syria amid an operation, the U.S. Central Command announced in a statement on Tuesday.
“Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was responsible for planning Islamic State attacks in Europe and developed the leadership structure for the group,” it said in the statement.
It added that “Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.”
“Al-Jabouri’s death would temporarily disrupt the group’s ability to plot external attacks, “it added.
No civilians were killed or injured in this strike, according to the statement.
ISIS used to control swathes of Iraq and Syria at the peak of its power in 2014 before being beaten back in both countries.
In February, a UN report revealed the group is estimated to have 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters spread between Syria and Iraq, roughly half of them fighters.
The U.N. report said the threat posed by the Islamic State and its affiliates to international peace and security was high in the second half of 2022 and had increased in and around conflict zones where it has a presence.
