US Reports Drone Strike Killed Senior al-Qaeda Operative in Syria’s Idlib

A US drone strike against the Idlib Governorate in northern Syria has killed two people, according to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that one of the slain people was a “senior operative” of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din.

The attack took place outside of the town of Orm al-Jouz. It is the second confirmed US drone strike against the Idlib Governorate since President Trump took office last month. The previous strike, on January 30, killed Hurras al-Din member Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir, according to CENTCOM. He too was called a “senior operative” at the time.

Beyond being the second strike against Hurras al-Din in Idlib Governorate since the new administration came to power in the US, it is also the second strike since Hurras al-Din announced it was dissolving and ending operations. They made this announcement January 29, in a statement declaring Sunni “triumph” over former President Bashar al-Assad.