A US drone strike in eastern Syria on Friday has killed ISIS leader Usama al-Muhajir, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.Centcom released a statement on their official Twitter handle on Sunday that confirmed that the US military had conducted a drone strike in the area that killed Islamic State leader al-Muhajir.U.S. airstrike targets ISIS leader in eastern Syriahttps://t.co/RtzKlBhXKE pic.twitter.com/A6IFnUGlXB— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 9, 2023“On July 7, U.S. Central Command conducted a strike in Syria that resulted in the death of Usama al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria,” the statement read.“We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in the statement. “ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.”No civilians killed in ISIS drone strike: CENTCOMGeneral Erik Kurilla confirmed that the US drone strike did not result in any civilian casualty, although forces on the ground are assessing reports of a civilian injury.“There are no indications that any civilians were killed in this strike, although the [international] coalition [forces] is assessing reports of a civilian injury,” the statement added.However, CENTCOM said that the MQ-9 planes that were used for the drone strike were harassed by Russian planes earlier, the second such incident in 24 hours.The statement said, “The strike on Friday was conducted by the same MQ-9s that had, earlier in the day, been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours.”This is the second time in 24 hours that Russian military aircraft disturbed US drones participating in operations against ISIS in Syria, a US commander said.“The planes dropped flares in front of the drones and flew dangerously close, endangering the safety of all aircraft involved,” US Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich told Al Jazeera.The US-led Coalition forces are leading the fight against the Islamic State they also support the rebel forces that are fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia, on the other hand, is the most important ally of Assad, alongside Iran.
