Children sit in the bed of a lorry in front of a house, the site of a reported joint operation by the US-led coalition, in the town of Atme in north-west Syria on August 20, 2025. AFP
Children sit in the bed of a lorry in front of a house, the site of a reported joint operation by the US-led coalition, in the town of Atme in north-west Syria on August 20, 2025. AFP
Children sit in the bed of a lorry in front of a house, the site of a reported joint operation by the US-led coalition, in the town of Atme in north-west Syria on August 20, 2025. AFP
Children sit in the bed of a lorry in front of a house, the site of a reported joint operation by the US-led coalition, in the town of Atme in north-west Syria on August 20, 2025. AFP

ISIS leader killed in Syria in joint Iraqi and US operation


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ISIS leader Salah Numan Al Jubouri, who was in charge of the group's financing, was killed in Syria on Wednesday in an operation between Iraqi troops, the US coalition and Syrian forces, sources have told The National.

Al Jubouri was also in charge of ISIS fighters' movement between Syria and Iraq, the sources added.

"Coalition forces carried out an air drop targeting a house in the town of Atme" in Idlib province, state television quoted an unidentified security source as saying. The coalition has yet to release any statements about an operation in north-west Syria.

Syrian state television said the forces raided a home where Al Jubouri was living with his family and fatally shot him after he jumped from the balcony of their first-floor flat.

An Iraqi security source, requesting anonymity, told AFP that Al Jubouri was the brother of a top ISIS leader who was killed in 2020 in a coalition strike in the eastern Deir Ezzor province of Syria.

The US-led coalition has often carried out strikes in Idlib, attacking ISIS officials, including a raid announced in June. Several former leaders of the group have been killed in the province, including in coalition strikes.

The house where ISIS leader Salah Numan Al Jubouri was killed in an operation involving Iraqi forces, the US-led coalition and Syrian troop, in Syria. AFP
The house where ISIS leader Salah Numan Al Jubouri was killed in an operation involving Iraqi forces, the US-led coalition and Syrian troop, in Syria. AFP

The latest mission comes as a change in the status of the US's military mission in Iraq has been confirmed to The National. It said it is transitioning to a bilateral security partnership. The move comes before next month's scheduled withdrawal from areas of the country.

Iraq and the US announced an agreement in September last year, under which the US-led coalition's mission against ISIS would end by next month. The remainder of US troops will leave the country by the end of 2026.

The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS was formed in 2014 to fight the group, which took control of large areas of the country in a swift operation. The coalition's military operations began with air strikes and expanded to include advising and training Iraqi security troops.

ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, but sleeper cells still carry out attacks in both countries.

In recent years, attacks have decreased, but with the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, some experts fear attacks may increase.

During a UN Security Council briefing in New York, the UN’s top counter-terrorism official warned that Syria remains highly fragile under its new authorities, with ISIS exploiting security gaps and stockpiling weapons.

ISIS also continues to "engage in covert operations and incite sectarian tensions in the country”, said Vladimir Voronkov, Under Secretary General for Counter-terrorism. He said concern about stockpiles of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists "has, unfortunately, materialised”.

US ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council that both Al Qaeda and ISIS in Syria were “actively fomenting instability by stockpiling weapons, recruiting fighters, conducting deadly attacks, and planning external operations”.

Ms Shea urged all member states to work with the Syrian government to counter the threat from the groups and to support reforms to UN sanctions that would “enable stability in the country”.

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Sole survivors
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Match info

Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')

Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

 

 

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Company profile

Name: Oulo.com

Founder: Kamal Nazha

Based: Dubai

Founded: 2020

Number of employees: 5

Sector: Technology

Funding: $450,000

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Updated: August 20, 2025, 5:31 PM