U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a precision airstrike in northwest Syria on June 19 that killed a senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader, the command announced Wednesday.
CENTCOM identified the target as Ali Husayn al-‘Ulaywi. “CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the statement. “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”
On June 22, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) separately designated three individuals and six entities for facilitating ISIS financial transactions.
The action targeted Bitcoin Xchange, a Syria-based money services business linked by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs to roughly $10 million in ISIS-associated cryptocurrency flows, with connected operators across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa.
ISIS declared a new phase of operations against Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government in February and has launched a series of attacks since then.
On June 20, the group announced responsibility for an attack near the city of Manbij in Syria’s northeastern Aleppo province that the Syrian Defense Ministry said killed two soldiers.
ISIS at its peak controlled roughly a third of Syria before a U.S.-led coalition drove the group from its last territory in 2019. Despite losing that territory, ISIS maintained a network of sleeper cells capable of carrying out targeted attacks and bombings.
The U.S. completed its withdrawal from all major Syria bases in April 2026, ending a decade-long presence under Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS.
A Department of Defense Inspector General report found roughly 150 ISIS detainees escaped custody during Syria’s security transition, and up to 20,000 residents left the al-Hol displacement camp, which housed ISIS-affiliated family members, without monitoring.
