Over the last three weeks, the US has been laser-focused on decimating the leadership of a small al-Qaeda affiliate that has forces in northwestern Syria. It has carried out several strikes against Hurras al-Din (HaD), a group that has operated in areas between Idlib and Afrin for several years, often close to the Turkish border.
Idlib was run by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which swept into power in Damascus on December 8 as the Assad regime fell. The US has used this period to focus on getting rid of terror threats that could emerge in the vacuum in Syria.
On February 21, US Central Command said its “forces conducted a precision airstrike in northwest Syria, killing Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, a senior leadership facilitator of the terrorist organization HaD, an al-Qaeda affiliate.”
The US said the airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s “ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond.”
Further, CENTOCOM head Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said, “We will relentlessly pursue and destroy terrorist threats, no matter their location, in order to protect our homeland and our allies and partners.”
Six days prior, on February 15, the US also struck another senior operative from HaD, saying it had also targeted and killed a finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization. Kurilla said at the time that “we will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, the US, and allied and partner personnel in the region.”
On January 30, the US killed a third member of the same group. The precision airstrike in northwestern Syria targeted and killed Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir, “a senior operative” in HaD, the US said.
Once again, Kurilla said his forces would “continue to hunt and kill or capture terrorists, and defend our homeland, against groups that plot to attack US and allied personnel.”
The February 21 strike appeared to use the R9X “ninja” missile that uses blades to cut up a target, rather than using a warhead. It is essentially a flying mincemeat machine, and it is easy to recognize because it usually targets a vehicle and leaves a signature mark as it rips through the vehicle’s roof.
This is the US’s weapon of choice in these operations. In June 2020, a similar missile was used to target Bilal al-Sanani and allegedly Qasam al-Urduni, other members of the group.
In other incidents, the US helped enable Iraqi forces to conduct a strike against ISIS in Iraq, killing two terrorists. “An initial post-strike clearance found the dead ISIS operatives, an explosive suicide belt, explosive material, and components of weapons destroyed in the strike,” the US said.
This comes as the Iraqi prime minister, Shia al-Sudani, has said the US role in the anti-ISIS campaign is wrapping up in Iraq. “Through responsible dialogue, we have completed the mission of the Global Coalition Against Daesh [ISIS],” he said.
The Rudaw media network in Iraq reported that Sudani said Iraq has transitioned to a framework of “bilateral relations and security coordination” with individual coalition members and is navigating a carefully calibrated path to insulate itself from “the repercussions of decisions that disregard our national interests.”
January strikes
Back in January, the US also helped Iraq conduct a precision strike that killed five ISIS members. This took place near Kirkuk, an important city between Baghdad and Erbil. ISIS has been active in the desert near the city over the years.
“An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials. The ISF [Iraqi Security Forces]-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.
“Coalition Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence,” the US said.
“ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists to protect the homeland,” CENTCOM added.