Two Islamic State leaders killed in joint coalition-SDF raid in Syria

May 22, 2020

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State says two senior IS leaders were killed in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province during a raid carried out with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Ahmad Isa Ismael al-Zawi, also known as Abu Ali al-Baghdadi, and Ahmad Abd Muhammad Hassan al-Jughayfi, or Abu Ammar, were killed in a raid Sunday, the US-led coalition announced today.

Zawi was IS’ wali, or regional governor, of north Baghdad, responsible for disseminating guidance from senior IS leaders to local operatives, according to the coalition.

Jughayfi was “a senior [IS] logistics and supplies official responsible for directing the acquisition and transport of weapons, IED materials, and personnel across Iraq and Syria,” today’s statement read. IEDs are improvised explosive devices.

The SDF and the coalition also conducted a raid in the eastern Syrian town of Shuhail that led to the death of one IS suspect and the arrest of three others, according to statements today.