U.S. Central Command said Friday that its forces in Syria had killed a senior member of the terrorist group, Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Makki.
Al-Makki was killed in a “targeted kinetic energy attack” in Syria, CENTCOM said.
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Al-Makki was a council member and senior leader of Khurras al-Din, an ideologically aligned group with al-Qaeda in Syria, and was responsible for overseeing the group’s terrorist operations in Syria.
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Combat Squadron (HSC) 5’s Night Dippers takes off from the flight deck as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz, November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the central region connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific Oceans through the Western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. With Abraham Lincoln as flagship, the deployed strike group assets include personnel, ships, and aircraft from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON), guided-missile cruiser Leyte-Gulf (CG 55), and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7. (Stephanie Contreras – U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
“CENTCOM remains committed to enduringly defeating terrorists in the CENTCOM area of responsibility who threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and regional stability,” said Gen. Michael Eric Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command.
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According to CENTCOM, Khurras al-Din and groups like it are fighting against Western countries and their allies, including the United States.
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) (left), the Royal Navy’s air defense destroyer USS Defender (D 36), and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) transit the Strait of Hormuz on November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the western Indian Ocean and central region connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific Oceans through three strategic choke points. Assets in the deployed strike group, flagged by Abraham Lincoln, include personnel, ships, and aircraft from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte-Gulf (CG 55), and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7. (Zachary Pearson – U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier this month that U.S. forces would be redeployed across the Middle East to support ally Israel.
The fifth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, CVN-72 Abraham Lincoln, along with its battle groups, was one of the major resources reallocated to the region.
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In September 2019, the United States formally designated Khurras al-Din as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” under Executive Order 13224.
