A senior ISIS commander was killed on Wednesday during an airborne raid carried out by the U.S.-led international coalition in Syria’s northwestern Idlib countryside.
According to Syrian state news channel Alikhbaria, citing a security source, the target of the operation in the town of Atmeh, northwestern Idlib, was identified as Salah Nouman, an Iraqi national and a senior figure within ISIS. The source noted that Nouman, who operated under the alias “Ali,” was considered among the most dangerous wanted militants.
The source added that Nouman had taken refuge in a house in Atmeh after being pursued by Syria’s Internal Security Forces in the city of Dana, also in Idlib province. At the time of the raid, he was reportedly hiding inside the house with his wife, child, and mother. The operation resulted in his death, with no casualties or detentions reported among his family members.
This comes just weeks after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a similar raid in late July in the city of al-Bab, in northern Aleppo province. That operation killed senior ISIS leader Diaa Zoub’a Muslih al-Hardani along with his two sons, Abdullah and Abdulrahman.
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CENTCOM confirmed at the time that the targeted individuals posed a “direct threat” to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as to the “new Syrian government.” In a statement posted on X, the command added that three women and three children were present at the strike site but were unharmed.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said: “We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they may be. They will not be safe, not in their homes, not at their workplaces, not in their hideouts. Working alongside our partners and allies, we reaffirm our commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists who threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”
A local source told +963 that the international coalition recently carried out another airdrop operation targeting an ISIS cell in al-Bab, eastern Aleppo countryside. The raid was conducted in coordination with Syria’s Ministry of Defense, with government forces sealing off all routes leading to the area.
The operation resulted in the killing and capture of several cell members, including foreign nationals.
