US increasing strikes against al-Qaeda off-shoot Hurras al-Din
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The US-led coalition continues targeted strikes against former Hurras al-Din leaders in Syria, despite the group's dissolution in January.
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A US drone strike that targeted Tahsin Bayraqdar in northwest Syria, February 21, 2025 (open source photo)
The US-led coalition continues its targeted strikes against leaders and members of the militant group Hurras al-Din, despite the group's announcement of its dissolution on January 28, following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Hurras al-Din, a jihadist Salafi organization, emerged in February 2018 after splitting from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. It was considered the latest al-Qaeda affiliate in the Middle East, comprising around 32 factions that pledged allegiance after defecting from HTS.
Since the collapse of al-Assad’s rule on December 8, 2024, and the group's self-dissolution, US intelligence has carried out three drone strikes using MQ-9 Reaper drones, eliminating key figures in the organization.
The first strike, on January 30, targeted senior leader Mohammad Salah al-Zubair while he was traveling in his car near Sarmada, north of Idlib.
The second operation struck a vehicle on the Orm al-Joz road, south of Idlib, killing three senior military commanders: Abu Bakr Mork, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Libi, and Fadlallah al-Libi. Activists highlighted Fadlallah’s significant role in recruiting foreign fighters to Syria.
The latest strike, carried out Friday, targeted a Jeep carrying senior security official Wasim Bayraqdar and Samer Bayraqdar, the brother of Damascus’ current director of religious endowments. Wasim, also known as Talha Abu Imran al-Shami, held a key internal security position within the group.
Since Assad’s fall, US surveillance drones have intensified operations over Idlib amid fears that Hurras al-Din’s fighters and leaders may relocate to other countries, potentially spreading their influence beyond Syria.
Increasing airstrikes
The US military announced on Sunday that it had carried out a precision airstrike in Syria, killing a member of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group.
In a statement on X, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strike took place on Saturday in northwestern Syria, targeting and eliminating "a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an al-Qaeda affiliate."
CENTCOM did not disclose the identity of the individual targeted.
According to the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, Hurras al-Din was established in February 2018. The group did not publicly confirm its allegiance to al-Qaeda until announcing its dissolution last month.
The United States designated Hurras al-Din as a "terrorist" organization in 2019 and has offered financial rewards for information on several of its members.
"We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and US, allied, and partner personnel in the region," CENTCOM General Michael Erik Kurilla stated.
USAID funded terrorism
But during a recent House hearing, US Congressman Scott Perry leveled serious accusations against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), stating the agency had inadvertently funded terrorist organizations, including ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram. His statements reignited debates over USAID’s operations and financial oversight.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, voiced his concerns at the inaugural meeting of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), a body established by President Donald Trump and chaired by billionaire Elon Musk. Amid the controversy, USAID has reportedly halted its global operations.
In a viral one-minute video, Perry declared, "Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps."
He also condemned USAID's allocation of $136 million for constructing 120 schools in Pakistan, asserting that there is "zero evidence" the schools were ever built.
