A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk carrying the French army’s Brig. Gen. Olivier Celo, director of civil affairs for Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, lands at Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, April 6, 2025. U.S. forces in Syria killed senior Islamic State leader Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani and his two adults sons on July 25, 2025, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which has worked to eliminate ISIS for more than a decade. (Fred Brown/U.S. Army)

U.S. forces in Syria killed a senior Islamic State leader and his two adult sons Friday, U.S. Central Command said.

Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani and his sons were killed during a raid in al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, officials said Friday. The command added that three women and three children were unharmed.

The ISIS members posed a threat to U.S. forces and their coalition partners, CENTCOM said.

For more than a decade, U.S. forces have worked alongside international partners in Syria and Iraq to eliminate ISIS as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Since ISIS’ territorial defeat in 2019, the U.S. has helped to train Kurdish allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces and assisted in carrying out strikes against ISIS leaders.

Concerns about an ISIS resurgence have mounted in recent months following the overthrow of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December.

During a visit with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this year, President Donald Trump urged the new leader to take up the fight against ISIS and to secure the vulnerable detention camps in the northeast part of the country.

The Pentagon has lowered the number of service members in Syria from about 2,500 to fewer than 1,000 in recent months, with plans to eventually consolidate troop presence from eight bases to one.

Although the SDF reached an agreement in March to merge forces with the new government, progress has stalled amid ongoing conflict.

Officials in Damascus continue to struggle with sectarian violence. In recent weeks, fighting between Bedouin Arab tribes and minority Druze militias in the country’s south drew intervention by Israel, which is home to a sizable Druze community.

CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement Friday that the United States will continue to pursue ISIS members.

“ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide,” Kurilla said. “Alongside our partners and allies, U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”