US forces kill over 30 terrorists, including senior ISIS and Al Qaeda leaders, in Syria airstrikes

Shafaq News/ US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted two targeted airstrikes in Syria, resulting in the deaths of 37 terrorist operatives, including senior leaders from ISIS and Hurras al-Din, an affiliate of Al Qaeda, CENTCOM confirmed in a statement on Sunday.

“The airstrikes are part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” the statement affirmed.

The strike carried out on September 24 in northwest Syria killed nine terrorist operatives, including Marwan Bassam 'Abd-al-Ra'uf, a senior leader of Hurras al-Din. 'Abd-al-Ra'uf was reportedly responsible for overseeing military operations from Syria. The strike comes a month after the killing of another senior Hurras al-Din leader, Abu-'Abd al-Rahman al Makki.

Based on the statement, “Hurras al-Din is an Al Qaeda-affiliated organization based in Syria with global aspirations to conduct attacks against U.S. and Western interests.”

Additionally, the airstrike executed in the early hours of September 16 targeted an ISIS training camp in central Syria, killing at least 28 ISIS operatives, including four senior leaders. According to CENTCOM, this operation “will disrupt ISIS' capability to conduct operations against US interests, as well as our allies and partners.”

“These strikes against the leadership and operatives of ISIS and the Al Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, represent CENTCOM's commitment to the enduring defeat of terrorist organizations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility and our support to regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command.

CENTCOM also noted that there were no civilian casualties reported in either strike.