Rare U.S. raid in Syrian government-held zone kills Islamic State arms smuggler

2022-10-09

By Orhan Qereman, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Phil Stewart - www.reuters.com

QAMISHLI, Syria, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A rare U.S. helicopter raid on a government-held village in Syria's northeast killed an Islamic State militant hiding out there and a separate U.S. air strike later on Thursday killed two others, the U.S. military said.

The United States has carried out previous raids in Syria against members of Islamic State, but Thursday's would be the first known operation against the group in a zone held by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Early on Thursday, U.S. special forces carried out the rare operation on the government-held village of Muluk Saray in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, Syrian state television said in its Telegram channel.

The U.S. military's Central Command said the target was Rakkan Wahid al-Shammri, an Islamic State member "known to facilitate the smuggling of weapons and fighters." It said he was killed during the operation, while one of his associates was wounded and two others detained by U.S. forces.

"No U.S. forces were injured or killed during the operation, no civilians were killed or wounded, and there was no loss or damage to U.S. equipment," said the Florida-based Central Command, which oversees American troops in the Middle East.

American soldiers during an exercise in northeast Syria last year (Photo: AFP)