The U.S. Arrests a Senior ISIS Member in Northern Syria

The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, announced the arrest of a senior ISIS member named Abu Halal al-Fadani in northern Syria. CENTCOM stated in a release that al-Fadani, an operations official and logistics head for ISIS, was captured on Saturday, September 23, during a helicopter raid. According to the statement, al-Fadani has established extensive communication networks in the region through ISIS. Troy Garlock, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in this regard: 'The arrest of ISIS officials like al-Fadani enhances our ability to locate, target, and eliminate terrorists from the battlefield.' He added: 'CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS.' In this operation, no civilians were killed or injured. Earlier, on July 9, CENTCOM also eliminated an ISIS leader in eastern Syria named Osama al-Muhajir. Additionally, it was reported that in mid-August of this year, ISIS confirmed the death of its leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi after a three-month delay and announced the selection of Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its new leader. The ISIS group has claimed an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq since 2014 under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a former al-Qaeda member. Following the formation of a coalition led by the United States, many areas under the control of this group were eventually liberated. In November 2019, the U.S. announced the death of al-Baghdadi in a raid by American commandos in Idlib province, Syria. His successor, Abu Hasan, was also killed last December. Abu Hussein al-Qurashi became the leader of ISIS after him. The conflicts in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, have drawn senior American officials to the region.