U.S. forces killed senior ISIS leader Ali Husayn al-’Ulaywi in northwest Syria on June 19, according to a U.S. Central Command announcement Wednesday. (Steve Asfall/U.S. Army)
A senior leader of the Islamic State group died as a result of an American airstrike in Syria last week, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
The June 19 strike in northwestern Syria killed Ali Husayn al-’Ulaywi, according to a statement on X from Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander.
For more than a decade, U.S. forces have led an international coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq under the mission known as Operation Inherent Resolve.
Following the ouster of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in late 2024, the Pentagon said it would begin consolidating its forces and shifting its footprint in the region.
That process was accelerated by the February launch of the joint U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, according to a quarterly report published by the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General in late May.
American forces deployed for the anti-ISIS mission withdrew from bases in Iraq and Syria, which were targeted by missiles and drones from Iran and Iran-backed militias. Operation Inherent Resolve also moved its headquarters from Kuwait to Jordan.
As of April, the final U.S. base in Syria had closed, according to the inspector general’s report, ending 10 years of U.S. presence.
The U.S. continues to work with its new Syrian partners to coordinate anti-ISIS operations, the report said.
