The US military has killed a senior ISIS leader and two of his sons in a rare ground raid in Syria, Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday.
The target, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, along with his sons Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani, were described as active threats to US and coalition forces, as well as to Syria’s newly formed government.
The raid took place without civilian casualties. Three women and three children present at the location were unharmed, CENTCOM confirmed.
While the US has regularly carried out anti-ISIS operations in the region, such ground raids are less common compared to airstrikes. General Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, stated that the US will continue its pursuit of ISIS terrorists wherever they operate.
Over the past few months, the US military has supported or conducted several missions in Iraq and Syria. In May, five operations in Iraq and one in Syria resulted in the deaths of two ISIS members and the detention of two others. In March, a US airstrike in Iraq killed ISIS operations chief Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai.
In April, the Pentagon announced a gradual reduction of forces in Syria, cutting troop presence by nearly half. Despite the drawdown, officials emphasized that US forces will continue counterterrorism efforts.
The operation comes shortly after significant policy shifts from the Trump administration, including the removal of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the US list of foreign terrorist organizations and the formal lifting of sanctions on Syria.
Officials say the raid underscores the continuing threat posed by ISIS and the US commitment to eliminating its leadership network.
