(VitalNews.org) – According to U.S. Central Command, the ISIS leader accused of facilitating a recent prison break was captured by American forces in Syria.
Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal was captured by the U.S.-Syrian Democratic Forces operation, according to CENTCOM. CENTCOM said that al-Dandal helped the five ISIS foreign fighters, two Russians; two Afghans; and one Libyan, from a detention facility in Raqqa, a Syrian city.
The SDF has reportedly already captured two of the escapees, Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan from Russia and Muhammad Noh Muhammad from Libya. “The search continues for the three who remain at large,” CENTCOM said.
The three remaining escapees are Timor Talbrken Abdash, from Russia, and Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar, both from Afghanistan.
“A primary objective of ISIS remains to free their fighters currently held in detention and subsequently fuel an ISIS revival,” CENTCOM continued. “CENTCOM forces, in coordination with SDF, will continue to mitigate threats of future escapes and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
There are reportedly over nine thousand ISIS detainees that are spread across twenty different SDF-run detention facilities throughout Syria. General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM Commander, said that the prisoners “represent a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention.”
Said Kurilla, “If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond.” He added, “We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication.”
The investigation to find the final three escapees is ongoing and we will hear more information when it’s released.
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