US Central Command: IS Official Captured in Syria After Raid

FILE - U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers search for Islamic State militants in Hassakeh, Syria, Jan. 28, 2022. U.S. Central Command said Sept. 25, 2023, that its forces had captured IS leader Abu Halil al-Fad'ani during a raid.

The United States Central Command on Monday said its forces had captured an Islamic State official after conducting a helicopter raid in northern Syria on Saturday.

"Abu Halil al-Fad'ani, an ISIS Syria Operational and Facilitation official, was captured during the raid. Al-Fad'ani was assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS network in the region," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, using an acronym for the terrorist group.

Troy Garlock, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, said: "The capture of ISIS officials like al-Fad'ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorists from the battlefield."

No civilians were killed or injured during the operation, the statement said.