The US military launched an airstrike in Syria on Monday, killing Khalid Ayyd Ahmad Al Jabouri, the senior ISIS leader responsible for plotting attacks across Europe, the Central Command (CENTCOM) announced. Al Jabouri was also responsible for developing the leadership structure of the terrorist group.
CENTCOM forces conducted a unilateral strike in Syria killing an ISIS senior leader responsible for planning attacks into Europe. pic.twitter.com/hwVjqdUTee
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 4, 2023
Al Jabouri’s death will “temporarily disrupt” the organisation’s ability to plot external attacks, CENTCOM said in a statement. It noted that no civilians were killed or injured during the strike. The exact location of the strike was not specified.
Degraded Not Defeated
“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond,” CENTCOM chief Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla said. He warned that even though the group has been “degraded” in Iraq and Syria, it still possesses capabilities to conduct operations globally, particularly in the Middle East.
Noting that its operations in the region would continue, CENTCOM stressed that it remains committed to the “enduring defeat” of ISIS.
UN Warning
Al Jabouri was killed as the UN recently warned that ISIS remains a major threat in Iraq, Syria, and Africa. Noting that it poses a grave security risk to global security despite leadership losses, the UN said the threat posed by ISIS and its affiliates has increased in and around conflict zones.
The world body emphasised that as long as countries do not repatriate their citizens from prison camps in Iraq and Syria, ISIS will continue to remain a danger. Tens of thousands of people, including foreign nationals and the wives and children of ISIS militants, have been detained in camps following the territorial defeat of the Islamic State. Officials and organisations have warned that the growing camp population is vulnerable to radicalisation and could join ISIS’ ranks.