CIA, US Special Ops launch secret drone attacks in Syria

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has joined US Special Operations forces to secretly hunt Islamic State (IS) leaders within Syria by armed drones, according to the Washington Post on Wednesday.

The clandestine campaign, launched by the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), is separate from the broader U. S. military campaign against the extremist group and responsible for recent strikes against senior IS operatives, said the Post.

One of the target was Junaid Hussain, a top IS computer expert and online recruiter who was killed in a targeted killing last week.

The Pentagon had earlier confirmed that the airstrike "specifically targeting" Hussain, a 21-year-old British hacker on the IS stronghold of Raqqa, Syria.

Citing US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Post said the strikes were launched exclusively by the JSOC, with the CIA responsible for identifying and locating senior IS leaders.

The targeted killing programme was aimed only at suspects deemed "high value targets", said the Post.

The current pairing between the CIA and the JSOC reflects rising frustration with the US military's conventional strikes to defeat the IS, said the Post.

The cooperation between the two agencies was a departure from the past feud and turf battles between the two over using of drone strikes in conflict zones, particularly Yemen.

Currently, the CIA and JSOC continue to have their own drone operations centres, according to the Post.