US forces say they killed a senior member of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia in eastern Syria in a drone strike. The attack took place on Friday, the responsible regional command of the US military told Centcom on Sunday. The dead man is Usama al-Muhajir.

“IS remains a threat, not just to the region but far beyond,” Centcom commander General Michael “Erik” Kurilla said in a statement. There is no evidence that civilians died in the operation. Centcom also said that the MQ-9 drones that carried out the attack had previously been harassed by Russian planes.

The US military is deployed in Syria in areas controlled by the Kurdish militia YPG and its allies. The US forces are supporting their fight there against the IS, which had ruled large areas in Syria and neighboring Iraq. Despite the military victory over the militia announced in 2019, their cells are still active in the country and carry out attacks.