The U.S. Reports the Killing of the Military Leader of an Al-Qaeda Affiliated Group in Syria

The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, announced that it has eliminated the military leader of 'Hurras al-Din,' an al-Qaeda affiliated group, through an airstrike in Syria. CENTCOM stated on Saturday, March 2, that Muhammad Youssef Zia was killed in a precise airstrike by U.S. forces in northwestern Syria on February 23 (one week ago). Last week, CENTCOM also reported the death of 'Waseem Tahseen Birqdar,' a senior leader and facilitator of financial operations for this terrorist group, in an airstrike on February 21. The group 'Hurras al-Din' was established by al-Qaeda in Syria at the beginning of 2018 and was designated as a 'terrorist organization' by the United States in 2019. The group announced its dissolution last month, referring to the new situation in Syria. CENTCOM, in a message on X (formerly Twitter), stated that the airstrikes are part of the ongoing commitment of the U.S. Central Command, along with regional partners, to disrupt terrorists' efforts to plan, organize, and carry out attacks against civilians, U.S. military personnel, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond. Michael Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, emphasized, 'As we have said in the past, we will continue to pursue terrorists to defend our country and U.S. forces and partners in the region.' The U.S. military has previously targeted several senior leaders of this group; for instance, CENTCOM reported the killing of Marwan Bassam Abdulraouf, a senior leader of the group, last September and announced last month that Abu Abdulrahman al-Makki, a senior member responsible for overseeing the group's operations, was targeted.