The US killed a senior ISIS official in a rare raid near the northern Syrian city of Qamishli, its armed forces said on Thursday.
Rakkan Al Shammri, an ISIS official “known to facilitate the smuggling of weapons and fighters”, was killed in a dawn helicopter raid, US Central Command said.
One of his associates was wounded and two were detained. No civilians or US forces were wounded or killed in the raid, it said.
The offensive was conducted in the Syrian government-held village of Muluk Saray in Hasakeh province.
It is the first known US raid against ISIS in regime-held territory.
Centcom said later on Thursday that it had killed another unidentified senior ISIS official and Abu Hashum Al Umawi, a deputy leader of Syria, in an air strike in northern Syria.
It reported no other deaths or injuries as part of the operation.
US forces initiated the attack on Al Shammri after he was found to be responsible for beheading two members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — US allies in the fight against ISIS — an official told Reuters.
US helicopters landed in the village after midnight and locals were told to stay indoors. They also raided a building used by Syrian regime forces, where they detained several people, a source told Reuters.
“The airborne operation targeted a key ISIS leader present in the areas controlled by the Syrian government. It was successful,” they said.
“This operation aims to expand the scope of targeting this organisation's members across different parts of Syria.”
The ISIS operative reportedly killed in the raid was said to have moved to the village from the town of Taif, a former ISIS stronghold on the Iraqi border, and his identity was unknown to locals.
ISIS leaders Abu Ibrahim Al Quraishi and Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi were both killed during US raids in western Syria.
Al Quraishi blew himself up during a US raid in the town of Atme in Idlib province in February.
Al Baghdadi also died by suicide during a raid in Barisha, in Idlib, in 2019. Both areas are controlled by rebel groups, some of which are affiliated with Al Qaeda.
Although defeated in Syria in 2019, ISIS has continued to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria, and poses a high security threat.
Many of its former members are detained in Kurdish-controlled prisons and camps across Hasakeh, including the notorious Al Hol camp, home to thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and their children.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
