Islamic State Syria chief Maher al-Agal killed in US drone strike: Pentagon

New Delhi: The leader of the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria was killed Tuesday in a US drone strike, AFP quoted the Pentagon as saying.

Maher al-Agal was killed while riding a motorcycle near Jindayris in Syria, and one of his top aides was seriously injured, Pentagon Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn told AFP.

"Maher al-Agal was one of the top four ISIS leaders overall," NBC News quoted a spokesman for US Army Central Command CENTCOM as saying.

According to NBC News, US Army Col. Joe Buccino said “The removal of these ISIS leaders will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out attacks."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that Agal was killed in a drone strike.

The Syrian Civil Defense Force said one person was killed and another injured in a strike that targeted a motorcycle outside Aleppo, but did not identify those who were killed.

مقتل شخص وإصابة آخر، بقصف لطائرة مسيّرة مجهولة، استهدف دراجة نارية يستقلانها في قرية خالطان بناحية جنديرس في ريف #حلب الشمالي، اليوم الثلاثاء 12 تموز، فرقنا تفقدت مكان الاستهداف وأمنته لحماية المدنيين. #الخوذ_البيضاء pic.twitter.com/0iig5WWDTF

— الدفاع المدني السوري (@SyriaCivilDefe) July 12, 2022

There was little information available about Agal, whom the Observatory called the Islamic State governor for the Levant.

The strike came five months after a nighttime US raid in the town of Atme in northern Syria led to the death of the overall Islamic State leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi.

US officials said Qurashi died when he detonated a bomb to avoid capture.

In 2019, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a US military raid in Syria's Idlib. He detonated a suicide belt during the US military operation.

With inputs from agencies

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