The US killed a senior ISIS official in a rare raid near the northern Syrian city of Qamishli, its armed forces said on Thursday.
Rakkan Al Shammri, an ISIS official “known to facilitate the smuggling of weapons and fighters”, was killed in a dawn helicopter raid, US Central Command said.
One of his associates was wounded and two were detained. No civilians or US forces were wounded or killed in the raid, it said.
The offensive was conducted in the Syrian government-held village of Muluk Saray in Hasakeh province.
It is the first known US raid against ISIS in regime-held territory.
Centcom said later on Thursday that it had killed another unidentified senior ISIS official and Abu Hashum Al Umawi, a deputy leader of Syria, in an air strike in northern Syria.
It reported no other deaths or injuries as part of the operation.
US forces initiated the attack on Al Shammri after he was found to be responsible for beheading two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — US allies in the fight against ISIS — an official told Reuters.
US helicopters landed in the village after midnight and locals were told to stay indoors. They also raided a building used by Syrian regime forces, where they detained several people, a source told Reuters.
“The airborne operation targeted a key ISIS leader present in the areas controlled by the Syrian government. It was successful,” they said.
“This operation aims to expand the scope of targeting this organisation's members across different parts of Syria.”
The ISIS operative reportedly killed in the raid was said to have moved to the village from the town of Taif, a former ISIS stronghold on the Iraqi border, and his identity was unknown to locals.
ISIS leaders Abu Ibrahim Al Quraishi and Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi were both killed during US raids in western Syria.
Al Quraishi blew himself up during a US raid in the town of Atme in Idlib province in February.
Al Baghdadi also died by suicide during a raid in Barisha, in Idlib, in 2019. Both areas are controlled by rebel groups, some of which are affiliated with Al Qaeda.
Although defeated in Syria in 2019, ISIS has continued to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria, and poses a high security threat.
Many of its former members are detained in Kurdish-controlled prisons and camps across Hasakeh, including the notorious Al Hol camp, home to thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and their children.
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
More from UAE Human Development Report:
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
SPECS
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The%20specs
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
