U.S. raid in northern Syria kills senior ISIS financier

U.S. forces have killed a senior ISIS official during a raid in northern Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.

The operation took place on Tuesday in Atimah, near the Turkish border, where CENTCOM said its forces targeted an ISIS member described as a key financier who planned attacks in Syria and Iraq.

The individual maintained connections across ISIS’s network in the region and posed what officials called a direct threat to U.S. and Coalition forces as well as Syria’s new government.

ISIS remnants continue to operate in Syria’s north and east. The group, which once controlled large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, has been reduced to insurgent cells that launch sporadic ambushes, assassinations, and bombings.

The strike comes amid shifting U.S. policy toward Syria. In June, President Donald Trump revoked longstanding U.S. sanctions on Damascus following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and the formation of a new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

While Washington has lifted broad economic restrictions, sanctions remain in place against individuals tied to terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and Assad-era abuses.

“We will continue to pursue ISIS terrorists with unwavering determination, throughout the region,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM. “Together with our partners and allies, CENTCOM remains steadfast in our commitment of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of the U.S. homeland.”