Syria Says Coalition-Coordinated Raid Killed Senior ISIS Commander After Arrest Near Damascus
Officials cast the operation as evidence of effective coordination with the U.S.-led coalition following the Palmyra attack.
Overview
- The Interior Ministry identified the slain commander as Mohammad Shahada, known as Abu Omar Shaddad, and described the action as a precise security operation.
- Authorities said the raid was conducted in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and targeted a leading Islamic State figure in Syria.
- Hours before the announcement, security forces reported capturing ISIS leader Taha al-Zubi, also called Abu Omar Tabiya, along with several associates near Damascus.
- Officials linked the latest actions to a Dec. 13 attack on Americans in Palmyra that killed two soldiers and an interpreter.
- The report notes that U.S. forces carried out retaliatory strikes on dozens of ISIS targets in Syria after the Palmyra incident.