US ‘kinetic strike’ takes out senior leader of terrorist group aligned with al Qaeda in Syria

US Central Command announced Friday that forces in Syria had successfully killed terrorist group senior leader Abu-‘Abd al-Rahman al-Makki.

According to CENTCOM, al-Makki was killed in a “targeted kinetic strike” in Syria.

Al-Makki was a council member and senior leader with Hurras al-Din, which is ideologically aligned with Al-Qaeda in Syria. He was responsible for overseeing terrorist operations for the group in the Middle Eastern nation.

“CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of terrorists in the CENTCOM area of responsibility who threaten the United States, its allies and partners, and regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, US Central Command.

According to CENTCOM, Hurras al-Din and organizations like it stand against the West and her allies, including the United States.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier in the month that US military forces would be re-positioned across the Middle East in support of ally Israel.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN-72 and the fifth of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, was one of the major resources reallocated to the region along with its battle group.

The US officially designated Hurras al-Din as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” under Executive Order 13224 in September 2019.