US military announces it captured ISIS official in Syria helicopter raid

The US military captured an ISIS official in a helicopter raid in northern Syria on Saturday, US Central Command announced Monday.

"U.S. Central Command forces successfully conducted a helicopter raid in northern Syria, Sept. 23, 2023. Abu Halil al-Fad'ani, an ISIS Syria Operational and Facilitation official, was captured during the raid," the CENTCOM release said. "Al-Fad'ani was assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region."

According to the release, no civilians were killed or injured in the raid.

"The capture of ISIS officials like al-Fad'ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorist from the battlefield," CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Troy Garlock said in the release. "USCENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS."

In August, CENTCOM forces and coalition partners conducted eight partner operations in Syria, in which seven ISIS operatives were detained and an eighth was killed, according to CENTCOM. In Iraq, 18 operatives were detained and six were killed throughout operations in August in Iraq.

Another ISIS operative - Hudayfah al Yemeni, an "ISIS attack facilitator" - and two of his associates were captured in a helicopter raid in Syria in April.

The US has roughly 900 troops in Syria as part of the ongoing mission to defeat ISIS.