Idlib: On Friday, August 23, a US drone strike in Syria successfully eliminated a high-ranking leader of Hurras al-Din, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group.
The targeted individual was Abu Abdul Rahman al-Makki, identified as a “Hurras al-Din Shura Council member and senior leader overseeing terrorist operations from Syria,” according to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM) released on social media.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strike, which hit a motorcycle in the southern Idlib countryside, resulted in Makki’s death.
Hurras al-Din: Al-Qaeda’s Syrian Branch
In the period between 2017 and 2018, the Nusrah Front, once a key player in Syria, opted to sever ties with Al-Qaeda and merge with other anti-government factions to form Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Al-Qaeda loyalists who opposed this move established Hurras al-Din, which became Al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria as of February 2018.
Hurras al-Din operates mainly in Idlib Province but has also conducted attacks in Ar Raqqah Province and Damascus in 2021.
The group is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 fighters, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. However, it is currently significantly weakened due to substantial personnel losses and a broad campaign by HTS since 2020, which has resulted in numerous detentions and defections within the group.
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US Military Deployment in Syria
Approximately 900 US troops are stationed in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group, established in 2014 to combat the jihadists who once controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria.
US forces conduct periodic strikes targeting militants from IS—now largely defeated in terms of territory—and other jihadist groups considered a threat.
