US conducted military operations in Syria

Beirut (dpa) — A suspected member of the Islamic State terrorist group was killed in eastern Syria during an operation by the US-led coalition against the organization, activists said on Thursday.

The man had been under surveillance for some time, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Farhad Shami, a spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), confirmed that an Islamic State member had been killed. He told dpa that another member had been detained.

The SDF were not directly involved in the operation in the province of Raqqa, but they provided logistical support.

US conducted military operations in Syria

The US leads an international coalition in Syria to fight the Islamic State. The operation began after the terrorist group overran large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014.

Islamic State is considered militarily defeated, but its fighters remain active in both countries and continue to carry out attacks.

Two US soldiers and a US interpreter were killed in an attack in Palmyra over the weekend, which is believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State.

US President Donald Trump subsequently vowed revenge against the terrorist group.

Whether the operation was part of the announced retaliatory measures remained unclear. The responsible US military regional command (CENTCOM) did not initially comment.