On April 17, early in the morning, U.S. Central Command forces launched a unilateral helicopter raid in northern Syria with the aim of taking out a senior ISIS Syria leader and operational planner in charge of orchestrating terrorist strikes in the Middle East and Europe.

The operation was the result of “extensive planning” and “resulted in the probable death of the targeted individual,” US Central Command said in a statement.

“The deceased, a senior Islamic State Syria leader was responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe,” according to US Central Command (Centcom).

Syria's White Helmets, a civil defense group operating in opposition-held areas of northern Syria, said it transported two people wounded during the raid to a local hospital, which later said they had died. A third person was killed when the U.S. forces landed for the raid, the White Helmets said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which partners with the U.S. in anti-IS operations in northeast Syria, said that the operation was launched from a base near the town of Kobani and targeted a military site belonging to a Turkish-backed armed opposition group, Suqour al-Shamal, in the village of Suwayda in the region of Jarablus, near the Turkish border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that the raid had resulted in the arrest of a senior IS leader and killed three people. The U.S. military made no mention of any arrests.

No civilians were killed or injured, according to a statement from CENTCOM.

“Though degraded, ISIS remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. “We will continue the relentless campaign against ISIS.”

The operation, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, was launched from a base in Kobani and targeted a military facility belonging to what it characterised as a Turkish-backed armed opposition organisation close to the Turkish border.

The Kurdish-led SDF collaborates with the US in anti-IS operations in northeast Syria.

Image source: The Jerusalem Post