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QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) โ U. S. -led Global Coalition troops killed the alleged mastermind of the deadly Palmyra attack during an airstrike in Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, exclusive sources informed North Press on Saturday. The sources stated a Coalition airstrike carried out at dawn on Dec. 18 in the town of Madan, east of Raqqa city, killed Abu Hamza al-Athari, whom they identified as the direct commander behind the Palmyra attack. as per the sources, al-Athari was a member of ISIS and played a key role in planning and directing attacks in Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
In a separate development, the sources stated that the Coalition troops also targeted ISIS positions in the RaqqaโDeir ez-Zor desert from the al-Shaddadi base in the southern countryside of Hasakah. Missiles were reportedly launched from the U. S. base, coinciding with airstrikes hitting ISIS hideouts and weapons depots. The sources added that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for the Palmyra attack.
On Dec. 13, ISIS militants carried out an ambush near Palmyra in central Syria, killing two American service members and a civilian interpreter. The attack prompted Washington to launch significant-scale strikes under โOperation Hawkeye Strike,โ targeting ISIS infrastructure and leaders across Syria. The syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian Democratic Forces (sdf) later welcomed the U.
S. -led Coalition strikes, calling them vital to preventing the group from regrouping and restoring its operational capacity. Reporting by Mohammed al-Qadi Editing by Jwan Shekaki