A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
On May 3, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that a senior leader of al-Qaeda was killed in a strike that targeted the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
In a brief statement, the command said that it will provide more information on the strike as operational details become available.
“This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to the region and the enduring defeat of ISIS and Al Qaeda,” said General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, CENTCOM Commander.
The Turkish military maintains a large force in Greater Idlib. However, the region is ruled by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Activists based in the region said that the U.S. strike took place in the outskirts of the town of Qurqania in the northern Idlib countryside. Video footage from the scene of the strike showed The remains of an AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missile that was reportedly fired from an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone.
Contradicting CENTCOM’s statement, Syrian activists identified the man killed in the strike as a 60-year-old shepherd named Lotfi Hassan Masto.
U.S. combat drones operate over Greater Idlib on a nearly daily basis. In the last few years, many senior leaders of ISIS and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups were killed in drone strikes there. However, none of the targets were working for or allied with HTS.
Exactly a month earlier, a U.S. drone strike killed a senior leader of ISIS in Greater Idlib. The slain leader, Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, was reportedly responsible for planning attacks into Europe and developed the leadership structure for the terrorist group.
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