Nadene Goldfoot
CENTCOM Forces Kill Senior ISIS Leader in Syria
USCENTCOM
TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted an airstrike in northwest Syria, June 19, that resulted in the death of a senior ISIS leader.The precision strike killed Ali Husayn al-‘Ulaywi and is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland. CENTCOM forces continue to work alongside regional partners. Despite its defeat in Syria in 2019, sleeper cells linked to ISIS remain active and have been claiming attacks against the country’s new authorities following the December 2024 fall of the five-decade Assad family rule. So they are thriving in Syria.
ISIS Arms came from Looting State Armories: Up to 90% of ISIS’s small arms and ammunition consisted of Warsaw Pact-caliber weapons originating from China, Russia, and Eastern Europe. These were captured from Syrian military bases and Iraqi arsenals, particularly after ISIS overran the city of Mosul in 2014, seizing tens of thousands of machine guns, rockets, and thousands of U.S.-made Humvees.
In Syria, ISIS operates as a decentralized insurgency through hidden sleeper cells rather than controlling territory . The group primarily conducts guerrilla-style attacks—such as ambushes, IED bombings, and targeted assassinations —against military convoys, infrastructure , and rival political groups.
In an audio message released in February, IS spokesman Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari called on IS followers around the world to attack Jewish and Western targets as they have in past years.
The U.S. military last conducted strikes against IS targets in Syria in February in retaliation for an ambush in December that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter. Central Command said then that at least 50 members of IS had been killed or captured.
The tragic murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped and beheaded by extremists in Pakistan in 2002. Before his death, he was forced to address the camera, where he proclaimed, "My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am a Jew." We were first told he was beheaded by ISIS as they beheaded so many.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”
CENTCOM stands for United States Central Command. It is a major unified combatant command in the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for U.S. military operations, strategy, and cooperation across a 21-nation region spanning the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia. Current Commander: Admiral Brad Cooper.
- Formation: Established on January 1, 1983, under President Ronald Reagan to ensure a dedicated force to protect vital energy corridors and stability following events like the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- Operations: Historically responsible for major campaigns including the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, operations against ISIS (Operation Inherent Resolve), and the multi-national efforts against Iranian proxy networks.
