Maher al-Agal (Arabic: مَاهِرُ ٱلْعَقَّالْ, romanized: Māhir al-'Aqāl; died 12 July 2022) was a top commander and leader for the Islamic State in Syria.[1][2][3] He was involved in aggressively developing ISIS networks outside Iraq and Syria, according to CENTCOM.[1][4][5] al-Agal was also a commander for Jaysh al-Sharqiyyah.[6][7]
History
editLittle is known about his life other than his military history.
He was a part of the Islamic State in Raqqa when the organisation still held that territory.[8] When he presumably rose the ranks, he was aggressively spreading ISIS networks outside of Iraq and Syria worldwide.[1][4][5]
Around 2020, al-Agal would be a member of Turkish-backed factions and would live in Afrin in northwestern Syria, where he would soon become a commander of a Syrian rebel group called Jaysh Al-Sharqiyyah.[8]
Death
editAt 12 July 2022, in Ghaltan village outside the town of Jindires, in northwest Syria, near the border of Hatay Province in Turkey, al-Agal was targeted by a US drone strike while riding his motorcycle,[9] along with an unidentified IS official who was his close affiliate.[3] The attack killed al-Agal and seriously injured the other IS official.[1] This attack took extensive planning for it to come out as a successful operation, without any civilian casualties.[10] The White House used al-Agal's death as an example that they don't need thousands of troops to get rid of threats in their country.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "US says it has killed ISIL leader in Syria". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ a b Demirjian, Karoun; Fahim, Kareem (12 July 2022). "isis leader maher al agal killed washington post". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Reuters".
- ^ a b "ISIS leader in Syria killed in drone strike, says US military". The Independent. 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ a b "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "Maher al-Agal: Islamic State leader in Syria killed in US drone strike". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "U.S. kills IS group leader in Syria in drone strike". Press Herald. 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ a b Peace, Rise to (2022-07-27). "What the Death of Maher al-Agal Means for the Future of the Islamic State". Rise to Peace. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Ensor, Josie (2022-07-12). "Islamic State kingpin killed by US drone strike in Syria". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Strike conducted in Syria". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 2023-12-17.