US forces kill Islamic State leader Abu Yusif during precision strike in Syria

Eastern Syria — U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike killing ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud on Dec. 19 in the Dayr az Zawr Province. The area was previously controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces before the recent fall of Bashar al Assad. 

Yusif was one of two ISIS operatives killed, according to CENTCOM. 

“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. ISIS 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," shared Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander in a statement posted on social media platform X.

A decade ago, ISIS militants conquered parts of Syria and Iraq. They claimed land before eventually self-declaring a caliphate in Syria. Within a year, by 2015, millions lived under their harsh rule. The militants carried out mass killings of minority groups while enforcing an extremist interpretation of Islamic law. Four years later, in 2019, a coalition of forces pushed ISIS back, reclaiming its final territorial stronghold in Baghuz. It was a decisive blow to a horrific terrorist organization which had brutalized millions, according to the U.S. Department of State.

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