US forces kill alleged senior ISIS militant in Syria

Audio By Carbonatix

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) -The U.S. military on Friday said it had carried out a raid in Syria that killed a senior Islamic State militant.

Earlier on Friday, the Iraqi counterterrorism service said that a senior Islamic State leader was killed in a security operation in Syria carried out in coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition.

The U.S. military statement said the raid had killed Omar Abdul Qader, who was “seeking to attack the United States.” The statement did not say if any civilians were killed in the raid.

The militant, known as “Abdul Rahman Al-Halabi,” was the group’s head of external operations and security, the Iraqi service said.

He was accused of overseeing attacks in multiple countries, including the bombing of Iran’s embassy in Lebanon, and planning other operations in Europe and the United States that were ultimately foiled through intelligence work, the Iraqi service said.

U.S. Central Command has carried out a series of strikes targeting Islamic State figures in Syria. U.S. officials have warned that the group is hoping to stage a comeback in the country following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last December.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Muayed Hameed; Writing by Jana Choukeir; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Leslie Adler)