ISIS Spokesman, Possible Baghdadi Successor, Also Killed in US Raid in Syria

US forces took out another high-ranking ISIS leader in a raid in Jarablus, Syria on Sunday.

Abu Hassan al-Muhajir was a spokesman for the Islamic State terrorist group, and he was a potential successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS mastermind who was killed in a well-executed raid over the weekend. 

Details are still emerging from that operation, but officials say they learned of Baghdadi's location after capturing and questioning one of his wives and a courier.

As US forces and K-9 dogs pursued Baghdadi, the terrorist got trapped in an underground tunnel and detonated a suicide vest killing himself and three of his children.

US officials say they captured two adult males in that raid and came away with a load of intelligence information. The terrorist compound was reduced to rubble by bombs and missiles.

The operation was named for Kayla Mueller, an American Christian aid worker who was raped and killed by Baghdadi.

Carl and Marsha Mueller, Kayla's parents, commended President Trump and the special forces who raided the compound, Fox News reports.

"Those men and women that put their lives on the line, we owe them our sincere thanks," they said.

The Muellers are hopeful that Baghdadi's death will explain more about their daughter's death.  

The raid had been in the works for weeks but was pushed up after Trump's decision to remove US troops from northeastern Syria.

Mustafa Bali, a Syrian Kurdish forces spokesman said his fighters believe al-Muhajir was in Jarablus to assist al-Baghdadi's travel to the area, which is held by Turkey-backed fighters.

"More IS figures remain hiding in the area," Bali said.

After Baghdadi's death, forces have been bracing possible riots in the ISIS detention camps in Syria, attacks on the prisons, or a rise in "revenge attacks" throughout northeastern Syria. One detention camp in the region holds 70,000 ISIS-connected people who are mostly women and children. More than 10,000 ISIS fighters are held by Kurdish forces as well.

According to Kurdish officials, there has been a surge in ISIS activities recently, including attacks against checkpoints and patrols with roadside and remotely detonated bombs.

A new ISIS leader has not been named since Baghdadi's death. Security officials say one of his close aides is expected to replace him. One name that has been mentioned is Abdullah Qardash, an Iraqi Turkman who was once an officer in Saddam Hussein's army.