Central Command reports U.S. drone kills ISIS leader in Syria

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced Sunday that it conducted a drone strike in eastern Syria that killed ISIS terrorist leader Usama al-Muhajir.

According to Centcom’s press release, the attack was carried out by MQ-9 drones as part of an operation to wipe out the terrorist group throughout the region.

The command explained that assessments are ongoing to determine if civilians were injured during the attack. However, they said that, as of now, there is no indication that anyone was killed during the attack.

“This will disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan and conduct terror attacks. However, CENTCOM’s operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the group’s enduring defeat,” Centcom announced, explaining that despite the strike against Usama al-Muhajir, ISIS continues to pose a major threat to the region.

Russia harassed drones before attack

According to the U.S. Central Command, the drones that managed to take out the terrorist had been harassed shortly before by Russian aircraft.

“Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior (...) Russian aircraft dropped flares in front of the drones and flew dangerously close, endangering the safety of all aircraft involved,” the report claimed.

Centcom explained that this is the second time Russian aircraft have engaged in this “dangerous behavior.” In the morning hours of last Wednesday, Russian aircraft also dropped “parachute flares at the drones and traveled dangerously close to the drones, forcing U.S. pilots to perform evasive maneuvers.”

Following this incident, U.S. Air Force Headquarters urged Russian forces in Syria to end such behavior.