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Commandos carry out Islamic State raid
US special forces kill at least two militants in eastern Syria during a mission described by the Pentagon as “routine” and focused on the group’s leadership.
AMMAN, Jordan — A team of Army Delta Force commandos carried out a raid in Islamic State-held territories of eastern Syria, killing at least two militants with the extremist group, U.S. officials said Monday.
The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the classified operation, said a special operations team carried out the raid Sunday to kill or capture suspected Islamic State leaders in the city of Deir Ezzor, about 90 miles southeast of the extremist group’s de facto Syrian headquarters in Raqqa.
There were no prisoners taken, the officials said. They did not identify who was killed, or say which Islamic State leaders were targeted in the raid.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters that an unspecified task force carried out the mission, which he called “routine” and “successful.”
“It was focused on ISIL leadership,” Davis said, using an acronym for Islamic State. “The U.S., and entire counter-ISIL coalition, will continue to pursue ISIL leaders wherever they are to ensure the security and stability of the region and our homeland.”
Activist groups, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the operation took place Sunday after 2:30 p.m. local time, when six Apache helicopters flew deep into the desert areas of eastern Syria near the village of Kubar, about 36 miles northwest of Deir Ezzor.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a British-based watchdog group that supports the rebels seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, although it does not support Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
First-hand accounts recorded on the WhatsApp messaging service and provided to The Times by a local activist, Abdul Rahman Hasson, said two of the helicopters had remained in the air, while troops in the remaining aircraft attacked a number of Islamic State vehicles. Observers reported that the operatives had set up roadblocks to prevent civilians from entering the area.
“They went down, killed some Daesh fighters and took some others. We have no confirmation of the numbers of those killed,” said Ahmad Ramadan, head of the activist-run Euphrates Post group, based in Istanbul, Turkey. It purports to have contacts with undercover correspondents in Deir Ezzor.
Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, which holds sway over much of Deir Ezzor province. The group’s jihadis have mounted a grueling siege on the provincial capital of the same name, which remains in government hands.
“A van and a pickup with Daesh fighters as reinforcements were destroyed by the helicopters in the air,” Ramadan said, adding that the commandos had at least one person who could speak Arabic with them.