Written by Ilan Hulkower:
The U.S., along with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced they captured an ISIS leader Monday morning.
The U.S. military identified the leader as Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, who they say was an “ISIS facilitator” who aided “efforts of detained ISIS fighters” to escape detention, according to a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) press release.
CENTCOM Forces Partner with Syrian Democratic Forces to Capture ISIS Leader and Assist in Operation to Recapture Escaped ISIS Fighters
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, partnered with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), captured an ISIS leader, who was assessed as helping ISIS… pic.twitter.com/Pdd2MzXI9Q
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 2, 2024
CENTCOM assessed that al-Dandal was involved in the escape of five ISIS inmates, foreign nationals from Russia, Libya, and Afghanistan, from a detention facility in Raqqah on Thursday. SDF managed to recapture two of the escapees, CENTCOM said.
Former detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group are released in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh on September 2, 2024. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention. If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond. We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla of CENTCOM said. (RELATED: ‘They’ll Try To Get Up Again’: US Rushes To Contain Resurgence Of Islamic State In Syria)
ISIS is an offshoot of al-Qaeda that was founded in 2013 by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Director of National Intelligence’s Counter Terrorism Guide says. The terrorist organization separated from al-Qaeda in 2014 and declared itself the rebirth of the Islamic caliphate. Its forces overran large swathes of Iraq and Syria until an international coalition reversed these gains by 2019.
The U.S. killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a raid in northern Syria in 2019. Most recently, the U.S. military killed a senior ISIS official via airstrike June 16 in Syria. In May, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) killed three ISIS militants in an airstrike.
“This article was originally published in The dailycaller.com“
