US drone strike in Syria kills senior leader of Hurras al-Din, al-Qaeda's local branch

American forces killed a senior leader of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group in a reported drone strike strike in Syria on Friday (August 23).

The strike targeted Abu Abdul Rahman al-Makki, described as a “Hurras al-Din Shura Council member and senior leader responsible for overseeing terrorist operations from Syria,” according to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media.

U.S. Central Command Forces Killed Hurras al-Din Senior Leader

Earlier today, U.S. Central Command Forces killed Hurras al-Din senior leader Abu-’Abd al-Rahman al-Makki in a targeted kinetic strike in Syria. Abu-’Abd al-Rahman al-Makki was a Hurras al-Din Shura Council member… pic.twitter.com/eIxqqU1vFq

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 23, 2024

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that a drone strike on a motorcycle in the southern Idlib countryside had killed Makki.

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Hurras al-Din: Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria

Around 2017-18, the Nusrah Front in Syria decided to break from al-Qaeda and merge with other groups opposing the Syrian Government to rebrand and form as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Al-Qaeda loyalists who disagreed with this decision formed Hurras al-Din, which became al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria in February 2018.

Hurras al-Din operates primarily in Idlib Province, although it had conducted attacks in Ar Raqqah Province and Damascus in 2021.

The group is believed to have between 2,000 and 2,500 fighters, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. However, it is currently in a weakened state due to significant personnel losses that have removed many of the group’s veteran leaders. Additionally, a wide-scale campaign by HTS to detain Hurras al-Din members since 2020 has hampered Hurras al-Din operations and prompted defections.

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US military presence in Syria

The US military has around 900 troops in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group. The coalition was established in 2014 to help combat the jihadists, who had taken over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

American forces periodically carry out strikes in Syria targeting militants from IS– which has since lost the territory it once held– and other jihadist groups that are deemed to pose a threat.

With inputs from agencies