Abdulnasser Al-Qirdash shown in the custody of Iraqi counter-terrorism officers in Iraq on Wednesday, May 20th (Credit: al-Sumaria via al-Arabiya.net)
The US-led Coalition announced today that two senior ISIS figures were killed last Sunday in a joint raid with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Ahmad ‘Isa Ismail al-Zawi was the terrorist group’s leader in North Baghdad, while Ahmad ‘Abd Muhammad Hasan al-Jughayfi was charged with logistics and supply for the underground network of ISIS cells across Syria and Iraq. The Coalition touted their deaths as a major disruption to the ongoing ISIS insurgency, which began to intensify after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The raid in the Deir ez-Zur area was one of several cooperative missions in Northeast Syria along the Euphrates River region this week, which also included the arrest of a senior ISIS supporter who facilitated property management for the jihadist group.
The deaths of al-Zaw and al-Jughayfi were made public just two days after news broke that the likely successor to the late ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was arrested in Iraq. Photographs of Abdulnasser Al-Qirdash in Iraqi custody were published across the Internet on Wednesday. Iraqi authorities credited “accurate intelligence” for the success of the operation. Analysts have suggested that the series of raids across Syria may have contributed to the capture of Al-Qirdash.
CLICK TO SUPPORT FAI’S WORK IN KURDISTAN
FAI has teams on the ground throughout Kurdistan, partnering with authorities and residents for medical care, education, aid distribution and more.
The Syrian army and Iranian-linked militias have also increased pressure on elements of ISIS in the southeastern Syrian province of Homs. Remnants of the Islamic State found sanctuary in the sparsely-populated desert region as their caliphate crumbled in 2018 and 2019. Syrian forces moved to secure key roads running between the former ISIS capital of Raqqa and Homs, as well as roads running eastward toward Deir ez-Zur, where US and Kurdish operatives are active. Syrian officials have publicly stated their objective to recover key oil fields in eastern Syria.
As the Syrian Army and their Iranian allies gradually expand into territory patrolled by the US and SDF, the potential for tension and conflict grows. The power vacuum left by the defeat of the Islamic State is still in flux, and the future of Northeast Syria remains uncertain. We are thankful for the success of anti-ISIS operations in Syria, and we would ask our global partners to join us in prayer for the safety and welfare of all people in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan. FAI teams continue to work with Kurdish authorities on the ground near the Syrian and Iranian borders, and we pray for the opportunity to serve the people of Syria as well.
