US airstrike kills senior Islamic State member in northwest Syria

Damascus,UPDATED: Jun 24, 2026 21:34 IST

The US Central Command said on Wednesday that a senior Islamic State member was killed in an airstrike in northwest Syria last week. Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi was killed on Friday in what CENTCOM described as part of ongoing efforts to "disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland".

The strike had initially been reported by Syrian activists after a motorcycle was hit near the village of Deir Hassan, close to the Turkish border, killing one person. It was not immediately clear at the time who had been targeted in the airstrike.

Despite the group’s defeat in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells linked to IS remain active. They have been claiming attacks against the country’s new authorities following the December 2024 fall of the Assad family’s five-decade rule.

"CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat," CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said, using an acronym for IS. He added, "We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region."

In an audio message released in February, IS spokesman Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari called on followers around the world to attack Jewish and Western targets, as they have in past years. The US military last carried out strikes against IS targets in Syria in February in retaliation for a December ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter. Central Command had then said at least 50 IS members had been killed or captured.

The latest strike underlined continuing US operations against IS in Syria, where the group’s sleeper cells remain active despite its defeat several years ago.

With PTI Inputs

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