ISIS leader killed in Syrian territory under Turkish occupation

One of the leaders of the Islamic State (ISIS) was killed on Tuesday in northwest Syria in an area under the occupation of Turkish forces and its proxies since March 2018.

US Central Command said in a news release that Maher al-Agal was killed and an unidentified senior ISIS official was severely injured in a drone strike carried out by US forces outside the town of Jindaris, close to the Turkish border.

Jindaris, a town of 13,000 in the Afrin district of Aleppo governerate, was occupied by Turkey in its military campaign dubbed 'Operation Olive Branch', which was launched against the People's Protection Units (YPG).

The strike on al-Agal comes five months after the head of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed on 3 February in the village of Atme, also close to the Turkish border.

SOHR claims Maher al-Agal was commander in Turkish-backed faction

Syrian Observatory of Human Rights claimed that Maher al-Agal was serving as a commander in the Turkish-backed Ahrar Al-Sharqiyyah faction, and was carrying an ID issued by a local council in Afrin under a fake name.