US says its forces captured Islamic State operative in raid in Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military conducted a helicopter raid in eastern Syria late on Saturday and captured an Islamic State operative and two of his associates, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The capture of Hudayfah al Yemeni and his associates will disrupt the organization’s ability to plot and carry out operations,” the statement said, adding no civilians were killed or hurt.

Earlier this month, the U.S. military said it killed a senior Islamic State leader in Syria, naming him as Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The U.S. said he was responsible for planning Islamic State attacks in Europe and Turkey and developed the group’s leadership structure in Turkey.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Kanishka Singh in Washington)