CENTCOM Confirms Senior ISIS Leader Killed in Syria Airstrike
Source: X | @CENTCOM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on June 24 that a precision airstrike on June 19 killed Ali Husayn al-'Ulaywi, identified as a senior leader of the Islamic State (IS). The strike occurred in northwestern Syria and is part of the ongoing US counterterrorism campaign against IS remnants operating in the region.
ANALYSIS
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper confirmed the operation in a June 24 statement, framing it as part of the command's commitment to rooting out remaining IS leadership to ensure the group's enduring defeat. Al-'Ulaywi's specific operational role within IS was not disclosed in the announcement. No allied or partner force casualties were reported in connection with the strike.
The announcement follows reporting earlier this week on the separate killing of Sami Mahmoud al-Uraydi, a Jordanian-born al-Qaeda ideologue and founder of Tanzim Hurras al-Din (the Guardians of Religion Organization, or HaD), also in northwestern Syria. Al-Uraydi carried a five million dollar US government reward and had been designated a global terrorist. Two named senior jihadist leadership kills within the same week in the same region reflects either improved intelligence penetration of northwestern Syria or a deliberate US campaign cycle synchronized with the Iran conflict period, when US attention and resources in the theater are concentrated.
Syria's governing authority, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls most of northwestern Syria, has taken an ambiguous posture toward US counterterrorism operations since Assad's fall. US forces have continued to strike without formal cooperation announcements from Damascus. HTS silence may reflect quiet facilitation or simply a lack of capability to object. The former HaD structure formally dissolved in 2025 under mounting pressure, but its leadership remained active targets, as this week's events confirm.
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