The US killed the leader of ISIS in eastern Syria after he launched a drone strike on July 7, US Central Command said on Sunday, according to Reuters.

The attack used the same MQ-9 drones that “had been harassed by Russian aircraft earlier in the day in a contact that lasted nearly two hours,” the statement said.

“US Central Command conducted a strike in Syria that killed Osama al-Muhajir, the leader of ISIS in eastern Syria,” the statement said, without providing further details about al-Muhajir.

Over the past year, Washington has stepped up raids and operations against suspected ISIS militants in Syria, killing and arresting several of its leaders who have taken refuge in Turkish-backed rebel areas since the group lost its last territory in Syria in 2019.

The US-led campaign that killed former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed “caliph of all Muslims,” ​​has since targeted leaders suspected of plotting attacks abroad.

However, the U.S. military says ISIS remains a significant threat in the region, even though its capabilities have deteriorated and its ability to rebuild its network has weakened.

The Islamic State controlled a third of Iraq and Syria at its peak in 2014. Although it has been defeated in both countries, its fighters continue to carry out insurgent attacks.