U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces carried out a successful raid in northern Syria on August 19, killing a senior ISIS figure who served both as a financier and as a planner of attacks in Syria and Iraq.
According to CENTCOM, the operative maintained strong ties within ISIS networks in the region and posed a direct threat to U.S. forces, the coalition, and Syria’s new government.
The target was identified as Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the fifth caliph of ISIS since the group’s founding. He rose to leadership after the death of his predecessor, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who was killed in a clash with HTS forces loyal to Abu Mohammad al-Joulani in northwest Syria.
His elimination represents another major setback for the group’s leadership structure.