--- title: "US strike kills a senior official of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria" description: "The airstrike in Syria's Idlib province killed a \"senior finance and logistics official\" from the militant group Hurras al-Din." date: "2025-02-16" modified: "2025-02-16" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-strike-syria-hurras-al-din/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Middle East" - "News" tags: - "central command" --- # US strike kills a senior official of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria ![Syria]() *An Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter takes off at sunset while transporting American troops out of a remote combat outpost known as RLZ on May 25, 2021 near the Turkish border in northeastern Syria. (John Moore/Getty Images)* U.S. forces killed a senior operative of the al-Qaeda-linked group Hurras al-Din in northwestern Syria this weekend, U.S. Central Command said. The Saturday, Feb. 15 strike in northwestern Syria killed a member of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din group, described by CENTCOM as a “senior finance and logistics official.” Hurras al-Din, a Salafist militant group formed during the Syrian Civil War, [said]() in January that it was dissolving at the direction of al-Qaeda leadership, but U.S. forces have continued to target leaders of the group. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,“ CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in the brief announcement. CENTCOM did not provide any additional information on the strike, including if anyone else was killed. The United Kingdom-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights [reported]() that the attack was done via drone, targeting and killing two operatives in a car near Uram al-Jawz in Syria’s Idlib province. Witnesses, the monitoring group said, saw multiple drones from the U.S.-led international coalition in the area. Saturday’s airstrike was the second in just over two weeks targeting leaders of the group. On Jan. 30 another drone strike killed Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir, a senior member of the Hurras al-Din, also in the Idlib area. The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria has carried out several airstrikes and raids against the group and other jihadist organizations in northwestern and northeastern Syria for some time. In December, the same day that the Assad regime fell, U.S. forces [struck 75 ISIS targets]() in central Syria, one of the largest single-day operations against the group since it was ousted from its last stronghold in the country in 2019. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **The ‘**[**gig line**]()**’ is back in the Air Force even if you didn’t know it ever left** - **This new Army special ops fitness center is decked out like a** [**pro sports gym**]() - **Here’s what the Army’s** [**75th Ranger Regiment**]() **looks for in candidates** - **The Navy’s** [**Future Sailor Prep Course**]() **was aimed at marginal recruits. It’s producing honor grads.** - **Fort Bliss gets a glimpse into the future with** [**3D-printed**]() **barracks** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()