Had Been Disturbed By Russian Fighter Jets, US Claims Its Drones Managed To Kill ISIS Leaders In Eastern Syria

Illustration of the MQ-9 drone United States. (Wikimedia Commons/Capt Brian Wagner)

JAKARTA - The US Central Command on Sunday announced it had succeeded in killing an ISIS leader in a drone strike, having previously faced Russian fighter jets.

The attack was carried out using the US Air Force drone MQ-9 on Friday 7 July.

"US Central Command carried out an attack in Syria that resulted in the death of Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria," the military command said without providing further details on al-Muhajir.

The command noted that so far there were no indications that civilians had died in the attack.

"This will disrupt and lower ISIS' ability to plan and carry out terror attacks," he explained as quoted by Sky News Australia.

Meanwhile, US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurila said the development made clear that Washington remains committed to crushing the terrorist group.

"ISIS remains a threat, not only in the region but far outside," he said.

Previously, footage from a video released by the US Air Force showed Russia's Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jet flying near a US MQ-9 drone on Wednesday over Syria. Washington released footage of the incident.

"The attack on Friday was carried out by the same MQ-9 which, the previous day, was disrupted by Russian aircraft in a'meeting' that lasted nearly two hours," according to the US Central Command, citing The Guardian.

"We continue to encourage Russia to return to the norms designated as the professional Air Force, so that we can all restore our focus to ensure ISIS' eternal defeat," the command continued.

Separately, in comments reported by Syrian state media, the Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation for Syria Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov said Moscow was concerned about drone flights by a coalition led by the United States in northern Syria, calling it a "systematic violation of protocols" designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich, commander of the Ninth Air Force in the Middle East, said one of the Russian pilots moved their aircraft forward to the drone and used an SU-35 afterburner, reducing the drone operator's ability to operate aircraft safely.

Washington last year stepped up attacks and operations against suspected ISIS operations in Syria, killing and arresting various leaders who took refuge in various areas after the group lost its final territory in Syria in 2019.

The US Central Command stressed that it will continue to work with Iraq and Syria to ensure the defeat of ISIS in the region.

Washington itself is currently known to have around 1,000 military personnel deployed in Syria and around 2,500 in Iraq.