Two ISIS officials killed by US forces in Eastern Syria

Two local officials of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed on Sunday in Eastern Syria in a raid carried out by US troops, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

The statement read:

"US Central Command forces conducted a successful helicopter raid in eastern Syria at 2:57 AM local time on December 11, killing two ISIS officials including Anas, an ISIS Syria Province Official who was involved in the group’s deadly plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria. Extensive planning went into this unilateral operation to ensure its success. Initial assessments indicate no civilians were killed or injured."

Joe Buccino, spokesperson for CENTCOM, said that ISIS continues to pose a threat to the security and stability of the region, and expressed determination to "ensure the group's enduring defeat."

“The death of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East,” he added.

ISIS's leader in Syria, Maher al-Agal, was killed in July by a US drone strike outside the town of Jindaris in Northern Syria, in an area under the occupation of the Turkish military.

ISIS's leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed in early February, again in Northern Syria’s Idlib, as he set off a blast when he was rounded on his hideout by US special forces.