US airstrike eliminates ISIS leader in Syria

A recent US Centcom (Central Command) press release announced the death of Abu Yusif, the ISIS leader also known as Mahmud, in a precision airstrike. It happened on December 19^th in the Deir Ezzor province of eastern Syria, a region formerly controlled by the Assad government. The attack resulted in the death of an additional member of ISIS, though no information was provided on the presence of wounded personnel or the role of Yusif in the group. Small pockets of ISIS presence remain in the region, and US Centcom remarked on their intention to collaborate with regional and international partners to help prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Syria. Centcom then said the airstrike was part of a strategy that aims to destabilize the efforts of terrorists to “plan, organize, and conduct attacks” with a focus on the areas no longer protected by Syrian and Russian air defenses.