CENTCOM announces capturing three ISIS militants in Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday announced that they had detained three members of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, saying the capture “will disrupt” the militant group’s ability to orchestrate and conduct operations.
The statement of CENTCOM reveals that the operation was carried out on Saturday evening in eastern Syria, without providing a more specific location, adding that no civilians were harmed.
The three detainees were identified as Hudaydah al Yemeni, an ISIS attack facilitator, and two of his associates.
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) first reported the story on Sunday, saying that the militants were captured as a result of a joint-operation by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and a counterterrorism group from the Kurdistan Region, with the support of helicopters of the US-led global coalition against ISIS.
SOHR did not identify which party the counterterrorism group belonged to.
The SDF and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have seemingly developed closer relations in recent months, with their links first exposed in March when a helicopter carrying SDF counter-terror forces crashed in Duhok due to bad weather, killing nine. The forces were going to Sulaimani for training, three months after PUK leader Bafel Talabani visited northeast Syria (Rojava) and discussed joint anti-terror efforts with Abdi.
About a thousand US troops stationed in Syria are part of an international coalition that has fought ISIS in the country since 2014. The coalition has been an ally of the SDF since 2017, providing the forces with weapons, military equipment, and advisers.
The statement of CENTCOM reveals that the operation was carried out on Saturday evening in eastern Syria, without providing a more specific location, adding that no civilians were harmed.
The three detainees were identified as Hudaydah al Yemeni, an ISIS attack facilitator, and two of his associates.
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) first reported the story on Sunday, saying that the militants were captured as a result of a joint-operation by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and a counterterrorism group from the Kurdistan Region, with the support of helicopters of the US-led global coalition against ISIS.
SOHR did not identify which party the counterterrorism group belonged to.
The SDF and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have seemingly developed closer relations in recent months, with their links first exposed in March when a helicopter carrying SDF counter-terror forces crashed in Duhok due to bad weather, killing nine. The forces were going to Sulaimani for training, three months after PUK leader Bafel Talabani visited northeast Syria (Rojava) and discussed joint anti-terror efforts with Abdi.
About a thousand US troops stationed in Syria are part of an international coalition that has fought ISIS in the country since 2014. The coalition has been an ally of the SDF since 2017, providing the forces with weapons, military equipment, and advisers.