WASHINGTON - The US military said on Feb 16 it killed a member of an Al-Qaeda affiliate organisation in a precision airstrike in Syria.

US Central Command (Centcom) said it conducted the strike on Feb 15 “in north-west Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organisation Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate,” according to a statement on X.

Centcom did not identify its target.

The strike was conducted “to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel” from the United States and allies, the statement continued.

On Jan 30, Centcom killed another senior operative in Hurras al-Din, Muhammad Salah al-Zabir, in an air strike.

The US-based SITE Intelligence Group said Hurras al-Din was founded in February 2018.

It did not publicly confirm its allegiance to Al-Qaeda until its dissolution announcement last month.

The United States designated Hurras al-Din as a “terrorist” organisation in 2019 and has offered financial rewards for information on several of its members.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and US, allied, and partner personnel in the region,” Centcom general Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. AFP

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