US says it has killed Islamic State leader Abu Yusif in Syria airstrike

The US says it has killed Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Yusif in Syria.

US Central Command Forces (Centcom) said it carried out an airstrike targeting Yusif – who also goes by Mahmud – in the eastern province of Deir ez Zor.

They said the area was previously controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces before the recent fall of Bashar al Assad.

Another IS operative was also killed in the strike, according to US officials.

Centcom commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said: “As stated before, the United States – working with allies and partners in the region – will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute.

“IS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria.

“We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria.”

IS militants conquered parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking advantage of the latter’s civil war to claim land before self-declaring a caliphate.

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At the height of its power, millions of people lived under the rule of IS, with the militants enforcing an extremist interpretation of Islamic law and carrying out mass killings of minority groups.

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However, they were pushed back by a coalition of forces and had lost control of all of their Middle East territory by 2019.

They have continued insurgency efforts in parts of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, while their affiliates still have a presence in parts of Africa.