“On Feb. 15, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics officer in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an al-Qaeda affiliate,” CENTCOM said in a statement, but did not identify the target.
Hurras al-Din, or Guardians of Religion, broke away from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2018. HTS led the Syrian rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime and established a transitional government.
The two groups have vied for influence and territory, with HTS periodically arresting Hurras al-Din members, particularly in 2020. Efforts have been made to reconcile their differences.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the strike killed two Hurras al-Din leaders – Abdulrahman al-Libi and Fadl al-Libi.
According to the Observatory, the strike targeted a car in the village of Urum al-Jawz in Idlib province.
CENTCOM, which oversees American troops in the Middle East, has carried out several strikes against Hurras al-Din members and leaders, viewing the group as a threat to its allies and American presence in the region.
CENTCOM said the strike was part of an ongoing effort “to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks” against American personnel and allies.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” said CENTCOM commander General Michael Erik Kurilla.
In late January, an American strike killed another senior Hurras al-Din operative in northwest Syria, identified as Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir.
