US air strike kills Al Qaeda-linked militant as Syria's new leader tours north

Some figures who helped Ahmad Al Shara reach power are now an obstacle to his acceptance in the West

Damaged homes that were looted in Maarat Al Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria. AP

An American air strike has killed a militant figure linked to Al Qaeda in the north-west governorate of Idlib, the US military and sources in the area said on Sunday, as Syria's new Hayat Tahrir Al Sham-led government seeks to improve the country's ties with Washington.

The US Central Command said in a statement that the operative was a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organisation Hurras Al Din, an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

The attack, late on Saturday, was part of a campaign "to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the US, our allies and our partners throughout the region and beyond".

Ahmad Al Shara, the country's new leader, was in Idlib for the first time since the rebels he commands declared him President last month. Idlib was the base of HTS before it launched an offensive late last year that led to the downfall of the Assad regime.

Mr Al Shara's government on Saturday announced the arrest of what it described as an ISIS commander, accused of planning an attack on a shrine in Damascus, as it distances itself from extremist groups in the country.

Videos taken by residents on the scene at a motorway near the village of Urum Al Joz in Idlib showed civil defence personnel, known as the White Helmets, gathering human remains from a burnt-out vehicle.

The White Helmets said at least two people were killed inside the car. One of its rescue teams "pulled out the bodies and transported them to the coroner" in Idlib city, the provincial capital.

Residents identified one of the dead as Abu Baker Mourek, a Hurras Al Din commander. The group is regarded in Syria as more extreme than HTS, which had consolidated power in the area over the past decade.

HTS, however, had allowed some former rivals to keep operating as allies in the struggle against former president Bashar Al Assad.

Since Mr Assad’s downfall, the US has largely controlled the skies over Syria, with the exception of Turkish air attacks (mostly drones) against targets belonging to a mostly Kurdish militia in Eastern Syria and a much reduced Russian base on the coast.

In late January, US Central Command said an air strike in north-west Syria had killed Muhammad Salah Al Zabir, who it described as “a senior operative in the terrorist organisation Hurras Al Din”.

Despite continuing military operations in Syria, the US Defence Department has drawn plans to pull its troops from the country, US media reported last week, citing unnamed officials.

President Donald Trump has indicated his preference for a withdrawal from Syria, although he backed down from such a step during his first term from 2017 to 2021.

A report by the Foundation of the Defence of Democracies last month described Hurras Al Din as Al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. It said the organisation of about 2,500 members was formed by commanders who had broken off from HTS in 2018.

HTS severed itself from Al Qaeda in 2014, when Mr Al Shara began a process of power consolidation that helped him overthrow the Assad regime on December 8 last year.

Relations with extremists and foreign fighters in particular has become an obstacle in talks between Mr Al Shara and western countries.

Two senior US officials met Mr Al Shara in Damascus last month. They relayed concerns about his inclusion of foreign fighters in Syria's new security force. A source told The National that Mr Al Shara said their integration was necessary to preserve stability.

How to deal with extremists was also the object of discussions on a visit last week by Anas Al Khattab, the new intelligence chief, and French officials, Syrian sources said.