Senior Al Qaeda-linked militant killed in US strike in Syria

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A senior operative of an Al Qaeda-affiliated group in northwest Syria has been killed by a US airstrike, according to the US military, The National reported on January 31st.

The US continues to conduct an undercover drone and special forces campaign against militants in the region.

The senior operative, who was revealed to be Muhammad Salah Al Za’bir, was killed by the US strike on January 30th, according to US Central Command, which is America’s military HQ in the Middle East.”

Al Za’bir was a leading member of the militant group Hurras Al Din, formed in Syria in 2018.

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Last week, Hurras Al Din announced it had broken up, reportedly under orders of central Al Qaeda leadership. HTS had arrested and assassinated many of the leaders of Hurras Al Din as part of a wider struggle for control in Idlib.

Since roughly 2015, the US has carried out special forces programmes in Syria, led by the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command, with Al Qaeda’s remaining fighters becoming a major target.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, the US launched multiple airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. ISIS are now in a weak state in the country, worn down by many opponents such as HTS and Kurdish militias supported by the US or local tribes.

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“The airstrike is part of Centcom’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” Centcom said.

A US drone campaign has targeted Hurras Al Din. The US air campaign has sometimes used the “knife bomb” Hellfire R9X missiles, also referred to as the “ninja missile,” which does not contain an explosive warhead and has several blades.

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A destroyed car, believed to have belonged to Al Za’bir, suggests that a weapon like the Hellfire R9X missile may have been used in the attack that killed him. Images on social media of the bombed car show the body of the vehicle sliced with no sign of fire or shrapnel.

The National

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