US kills ISIS leader in airstrike in eastern Syria

The US says it killed an ISIS leader in Syria on July 7. The strike, which took place on Friday was carried out by an MQ-9 Reaper drone that had been harassed by Russian aircraft“ earlier in the day,” US Central Command said.  

The airstrike against an ISIS leader is the latest in a number of losses for ISIS. ISIS continues to be a threat in Iraq and Syria but it primarily consists of only small cells of men, many of them hiding in rural areas. Other ISIS members have fled or melted back into the societies they came from. Some ISIS members are held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria and thousands of their family members and other associates are held there.  

The US said that on July 7 the Reaper drone “conducted a strike in Syria that resulted in the death of Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria.” The US said that the ISIS leader was in eastern Syria. This is a large area controlled by the SDF, generally consisting of territory east of the Euphrates river. West of the Euphrates the Syrian regime, which is backed by Russia and Iran is in control. Iranian-backed militias patrol areas along the river, from Albukamal to Deir Ezzor. ISIS members have sought refuge in desert areas, either east or west of the Euphrates, sometimes striking at locals, such as murdering people who go out in the desert to forage. In northwestern Syria ISIS also operates under the radar, often using the cover of other extremist groups, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to screen their movements. Turkey invaded parts of northwest Syria beginning in 2016. In 2018 Turkey took over the Kurdish area of Afrin, expelling Kurds and inviting in many Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups. Extremist groups, such as ISIS and similar extremists, have often infiltrated these areas.

Exploiting Syria's complex alliances

ISIS is able to continue to survive on the margins by exploiting the tensions in Syria between Turkey, the Iranians, Russians, the Syrian regime, the US-led Coalition and SDF. Because of the patchwork of forces and control, ISIS can sometimes find safe havens or move from place to place. For instance, Turkey, which is a US NATO ally, often carries out drone strikes on the US-backed SDF. The SDF and the US, in turn, are working closely to fight ISIS. This creates the strange situation where one US ally carried out drone strikes on US partner forces who are fighting ISIS. Meanwhile Russia, angry about the US backing of Ukraine, has vastly increased harassment of US drones and forces in Russia.  

US Central Command says that it has made it clear that it is committed to the defeat of ISIS in the region. It also says “ISIS remains a threat,” according to US General Michael Kurilla, head of CENTCOM. The US says the airstrike that took out Muhajir, did not harm civilians. “This will disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan and conduct terror attacks.” 

The US also specified that the drone used in the strike had been harassed by Russian aircraft. This adds weight to US claims that Russia’s actions are potentially harming the war on ISIS. Russia has claimed it also opposes ISIS, but it is not clear if its operations in Syria today are focused on ISIS.  

ISIS's persistence and US efforts 

There was a lack of clarity on precisely where the strike took place. France24 noted that “three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation.” This would appear to be in contrasts to reports that the strike was in “eastern” Syria. In fact the Russian harassment of drones took place in northwest Syria.

ISIS continues to take losses and US forces continue to try to keep up the pressure. Recent reports indicate the tempo of US operations and ISIS leaders continue to be targeted and tracked. It remains to be seen however if these strikes have a meaningful outcome. ISIS appears ready to continue to be a threat on a small scale and it may be impossible to eradicate. 

On Thursday, US MQ-9 drones were also disrupted by Russian aircraft which dropped flares in front of the drones and flew close to them, according to the US Air Force. The Air Force released footage of the incident.