US Carries Out Strike in Syria, Killing Senior Al Qaeda Leaders
Photo by STAFF/AFP via Getty Images.
The United States killed three senior Al Qaeda leaders in a drone strike in northwest Syria on Monday.
“U.S. forces conducted a kinetic counterterrorism strike near Idlib, Syria, today, on a senior Al Qaeda leader. Initial indications are that we struck the individual we were aiming for, and there are no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike,” said U.S. Central Command in a statement. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby reiterated this statement during Monday’s press briefing.
Abu al-Bara al-Tunisi and Abu Hamza al-Yemeni, both from the Al Qaeda-affiliated Hurras Al-Din group, were reportedly killed in the strike. The former was a senior Al Qaeda commander in Syria. Until Monday, he had survived two previous assassination attempts in 2020, according to the Middle East Institute’s Charles Lister. The name of the third senior leader is publicly unknown.
Sources believe the targeted vehicle was carrying 3 senior Huras al-Din leaders:
1. Abu al-Bara al-Tunisi
2. Abu Hamza al-Yemeni
3. Unknown https://t.co/4jVVO7DhVx— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) September 20, 2021
The vehicle was struck in open ground outside #Binnish — no need for an R9X. pic.twitter.com/lvbGAj1iOI
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) September 20, 2021
Abu al-Bara had been a senior Nusra leader prior to defecting from #HTS in late-2017.
He was Nusra’s chief shari’i in Deir ez Zor 2013-14 & later Nusra’s wali in the Badiya.
He’s personally close to Huras al-Din deputy, Sami al-Oraydi. pic.twitter.com/kQNQfUVtlr
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) September 20, 2021
