The United States military on Sunday claimed that it killed a member of an al Qaeda affiliate organisation in a precision airstrike in northwest Syria. US Central Command described the person as a "senior operative" in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din.
In a statement on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it "conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate."
The strike, according to the US, was conducted "to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel" from the United States and its allies.
CENTCOM General Michael Erik Kurilla said that the US will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists to defend the country and other partner personnel ad allies in the region.
The strike comes a few days after CENTCOM killed another senior operative of Hurras al-Din in an air strike on January 30.
The US-based SITE Intelligence Group said Hurras al-Din terrorist organisation was founded in February 2018. However, it had not publicly confirmed its allegiance to Al-Qaeda until it announced dissolution last month.
Hurras al-Din was designated as a "terrorist" organisation by the United States in 2019, following which it has offered financial rewards for information on several of its members, AFP reported.
The US Central Command said in a statement last month that it killed a senior operative Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir of the Hurras al-Din group, in an airstrike in northwest Syria. It said that the airstrike was aimed at degrading the militant groups in the region.