US Claims ISIS Leader Killed in Syria Drone Strike

CENTCOM says killing proves commitment to defeating ISIS

US officials have issued a statement claiming a drone strike on Tuesday killed top Syrian ISIS leader Maher al-Agal. The attack was near Jindayris, in northwestern Syria.

Details are still emerging, and ISIS has yet to issue a statement confirming the incident. US officials say Agal was the top leader of ISIS in Syria, though its not clear if this is true, nor who would replace him if it is.

As is so common with US reports of high-ranking enemies being killed, there’s a lot of doubt to be had, not the least of which is that Maher Agal is heretofore virtually unmentioned in official media reports until this sudden death. All-too-often it seems the US posthumously promotes the people they killed to more important figures.

CENTCOM’s statement on the matter said Agal was gravely injured in the strike, then died. They say the attack proves US commitment to defeating ISIS, and that most dubious US claim of all, that “there were no civilian casualties.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.