US confirms killing of senior Islamic State leader Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi in Syria airstrike
US Central Command confirmed an airstrike near the Turkish border killed senior Islamic State leader Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi on June 19, as the group intensifies attacks against Syria's new government and Washington imposes fresh financial sanctions.
The airstrike
A US airstrike on June 19 killed senior Islamic State leader Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi near the village of Deir Hassan, close to the Syrian-Turkish border. Syrian activists had initially reported a motorcycle hit by a strike had left one dead, without identifying the target. On Wednesday, US Central Command confirmed the operation and named al-Ulaywi, stating it was part of ongoing efforts to "disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the US homeland."
IS activity since Assad's fall
The Islamic State group has declared a new phase of operations in Syria, targeting the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa with a spate of attacks since February. The day after the airstrike, IS claimed responsibility for an attack near the city of Manbij in northeastern Aleppo province. Although IS was driven from its last territorial holdings in 2019, sleeper cells remain active and have claimed attacks against the post-Assad authorities that took power in December 2024. Al-Sharaa's government joined the US-led coalition fighting IS last year.
Sanctions target IS finances
On June 22, the US Treasury sanctioned three individuals and six entities for facilitating financial transactions on behalf of the group. Those named include French citizen Milud Abderrahman, accused of providing instructions on manufacturing explosives to IS sympathisers; Abdelhakim Bukich, a former Dutch citizen who founded a crypto exchange in 2020 and allegedly moved money for IS associates across Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United States; and Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, a Nigerian resident facing similar charges.
- US airstrike kills senior IS leader Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi near Deir Hassan, Syria.
- IS claims responsibility for an attack near Manbij, Aleppo province.
- US Treasury sanctions three individuals and six entities for facilitating IS financial transactions.
- CENTCOM publicly confirms the June 19 airstrike.
Official response
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the command and its partners "remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat." He added: "We will continue to defend the US homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region." The US last carried out strikes against IS targets in Syria in February, in retaliation for a December ambush that killed two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter; those operations resulted in at least 50 IS members killed or captured, the command said at the time.
Broader context
The US military intervened in Syria over a decade ago to support Kurdish-led forces against IS, which at its peak controlled around a quarter or more of Syrian territory. Although the international coalition has drawn down since the group's territorial defeat, American forces periodically conduct strikes and raids against remaining cells. An IS spokesman released an audio message in February calling on followers worldwide to attack Jewish and Western targets.
