Al-Nusra FrontU.S. strike kills senior al-Nusra official – an al Qaeda “legacy” leader
A Pentagon spokesman said that the targets of a U.S. airstrike in northwestern Syria that were several top leaders of the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, including the group’s spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri. Al-Suri, a Syrian national, served in the Syrian military before being forced out for Islamist leanings. He became close to bin Laden while fighting in Afghanistan, and rose to a senior position in al Qaeda in the late 1980s.
U.S. airstrikes neutralize terrorist leadership // Source: defense.gov
A Pentagon spokesman said that the targets of a U.S. airstrike in northwestern Syria that were several top leaders of the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, including the group’s spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri.
“We assess that al Qaeda senior leader Abu Firas al-Suri was in that meeting and we are working to confirm his death,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a press briefing.
Al-Suri “worked with Osama bin Laden and other founding al Qaeda members to train terrorists and conduct attacks globally,” Cook noted.
Swissinfo reports that the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Monday, first reported the killing of al-Suri, but attributed his death to a Syrian or Russian airstrike.
Al-Suri, a Syrian national, served in the Syrian military before being forced out for Islamist leanings. He became close to bin Laden while fighting in Afghanistan, and rose to a senior position in al Qaeda in the late 1980s.
Middle East Forum researcher Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi told AFP that while the death of a “legacy” al Qaeda leader may be considered significant, it is not likely to hobble al-Nusra Front’s operational capabilities.
“Their organizational structures are well prepared for targeted assassinations, which are usual business for them,” al-Tamimi said.
