US kills senior operative of al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that it killed a senior operative of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Syria.

"On Jan. 30, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing Muhammad Salah al-Za'bir, a senior operative in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate," CENTCOM said in a statement.

The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment to disrupt and degrade “efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,” it added.

"CENTCOM will continue to hunt and kill or capture terrorists and defend our homeland against groups that plot to attack US and allied personnel," said CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.