CENTCOM strike kills ISIS leader in Syria amid US troop drawdown
By Leo Shane III
Jul 25, 2025, 11:17 AM
U.S. soldiers and Syrian fighters patrol the Deconfliction Zone in Syria on June 11. (Sgt. Trenton Pallone/Army)
American military forces killed a senior Islamic State leader and his two adult sons during an operation in Aleppo, Syria, on Friday morning, U.S. Central Command officials said.
The strike comes just a few weeks after White House officials ordered a drawdown of the U.S. military presence in Syria, which had featured roughly 2,000 troops spread across eight bases in the region. Several hundred have returned to the United States in recent weeks.
Military officials said that Islamic State leader Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani and his ISIS-affiliated sons “posed a threat to U.S. and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government.” No information was released on how many personnel were involved in the strike or what equipment was used.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/07/25/centcom-strike-kills-isis-leader-in-syria-amid-us-troop-drawdown/
