The US has announced it killed Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Yusif in an airstrike in Syria.
US Central Command Forces (Centcom) confirmed they targeted Yusif, also known as Mahmud, in the eastern province of Deir ez Zor.
The area was previously controlled by Syrian regime and Russian forces before the recent fall of Bashar al Assad, Centcom said.
Another IS operative was also killed in the strike, according to US officials.
Centcom commander, general Michael Erik Kurilla, said: "As stated before, the United States - working with allies and partners in the region - will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute.
"IS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria.
"We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria."
IS militants seized parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, exploiting Syria’s civil war to claim territory before declaring a self-styled caliphate in late 2015.
At its peak, around 12 million people lived under IS rule, where the group enforced an extremist interpretation of Islamic law and carried out mass killings of minority groups.
However, a coalition of forces pushed IS back, and the group lost control of all its Middle Eastern territory by 2019.
Despite this, IS has continued insurgency efforts in parts of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, while its affiliates maintain a presence in parts of Africa.
