US Kills 11 Al-Qaeda Operatives in 2 Airstrikes

According to the Pentagon, two US airstrikes, both near Idlib in northwestern Syria, killed 11 al-Qaeda operatives, one of whom had ties with Osama bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda leaders.

Spokesperson, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, shed light on the situation, explaining that the first air strike, on 3 February, killed ten operatives. The target here was a building that was used as an al-Qaeda meeting point.

It was the second air strike, the following day, that took the life of Abu Hani al-Masri.

Davis revealed the al-Masri had ties to Bin Laden and to Ayman al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden’s successor after his death in 2011.

According to the Pentagon, al-Masri was an al-Qaeda operative who managed the creation and operation of al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

“These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda’s ability to plot and direct external attacks targeting the US and our interests worldwide,” said Davis.

Al-Qaeda’s influence in Syria is largely influenced by affiliate jihadist group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), formerly known as al-Nusra Front. It is believed that its leadership structure is still intertwined with al-Qaeda.

President Trump’s first military action against al-Qaeda in Yemen last week sadly resulted in the death of a Navy Seal commando and approximately 16 civilians, some of which were children.

Despite this tragedy, Trump’s administration declared the operation a success due to the valuable information that was acquired.