Site Reveals Identity of Targets in U.S. Strike in Syria

The SITE intelligence group reported that the recent U.S. strike targeting al-Qaeda leaders in Syria killed Abu Hamza al-Yemeni, the group's military commander, and a second official named Abu al-Bara' al-Tunisi. U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby announced on Monday that U.S. forces targeted a prominent al-Qaeda leader near Idlib, Syria. During a press conference, Kirby stated that initial reports confirmed the target was hit, with no indications of civilian casualties. Jihadists on social media claimed that the strike resulted in the death of two officials from the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar al-Din. Analysts say U.S. pressure on al-Qaeda in Syria continues, despite this being the group's first strike this year. Charles Lister, a researcher at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told Voice of America, "The United States has a strong track record of precision strikes targeting al-Qaeda elements in northwestern Syria, especially since mid-2019, when members of al-Qaeda's global leadership were eliminated by U.S. drone strikes." Lister added that Ansar al-Din is already under attack from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has broken away from al-Qaeda, forcing many of its leaders into hiding. He continued: "Periodic U.S. drone strikes are adding salt to an already widening wound for al-Qaeda in Syria." On August 29, a U.S. airstrike targeted a vehicle in Kabul believed to be "loaded with explosives" for an attack by the local ISIS affiliate. Washington previously killed al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Abu Khayr al-Masri, in a February 2017 airstrike in Idlib province, northwest Syria. Additionally, in January 2019, it targeted Jamal al-Badawi in Yemen, one of the men accused of conspiring to bomb the USS Cole in 2000.