http://archive.today/2025.07.25-163507/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/us/politics/us-raid-syria-isis.html

U.S. military forces conducted a rare raid in northwestern Syria on Friday, killing a senior Islamic State leader and two other ISIS insurgents, the Pentagon’s Central Command said.

In a statement, Central Command said that U.S. forces killed the leader, Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, and his two adult sons in the Aleppo area.

Such ground operations are riskier than drone strikes because they put troops in harm’s way. They often mean that the target is particularly important and likely to be near civilians to try to ward off an air attack. And the location of the raid may contain sensitive information — like computer hard drives, cellphones and other data — that could help counterterrorism forces plan future raids.

“These ISIS individuals posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces as well as the new Syrian government,” Central Command said in a statement, which noted that three women and three children who were at the location of the raid were unharmed.

Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, who oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said in the statement that “U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies and our homeland.”