Mon Feb 17 02:04:52 UTC 2025: ## US Airstrike Kills Al-Qaeda Affiliate Leader in Syria
**Washington, Feb 17, 2025** – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria on February 15th killed a senior finance and logistics official of Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate. While CENTCOM did not publicly identify the target, the strike aimed to disrupt HaD’s ability to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. and allied personnel. This is the second HaD operative killed by a U.S. airstrike in recent weeks, following the January 30th death of Muhammad Salah al-Zabir. CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla reiterated the U.S. commitment to relentlessly pursuing terrorists in the region. Hurras al-Din, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2019, was founded in 2018 and only recently publicly confirmed its allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
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