A senior leader of the extremist group Hurras al-Din, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, was eliminated in a precise airstrike in Syria conducted by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, as stated in an official communication.
Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay was targeted in an airstrike that CENTCOM has described as part of its strategy to disrupt and weaken the plots of terrorists intending to cause harm to civilians or military members of the U.S. and its partners.
CENTCOM announced on March 1 that it had killed Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, a senior leader of Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din. (CENTCOM)
Since January, CENTCOM has taken out multiple senior Hurras al-Din leaders.
On a previous occasion, on Jan. 30, CENTCOM reported the elimination of another senior Hurras al-Din operative, Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir, in a comparable precise airstrike in Syria. In the communication regarding this operation, Gen. Kurilla affirmed that “CENTCOM will persevere in pursuing and neutralizing terrorists.”
The seal of the Department of Defense is seen on the podium at the Pentagon, Sept. 27, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
CENTCOM also killed an unnamed operative, who was a senior finance and logistics official in Hurras al-Din on Feb. 16. Additionally, on Feb. 22, CENTCOM said it killed Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, who they describe as “a senior leadership facilitator” of Hurras al-Din.
After the strike in mid-February, President Trump congratulated CENTCOM and Gen. Kurilla, saying that they “dealt justice to another jihadi threatening America and our allies and partners.”
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
