Nowhere to hide: US strikes target al-Qaeda affiliates with precision

KABUL -- Recent US strikes targeting the leaders of al-Qaeda affiliates demonstrate a high level of precision, taking out the intended target in a direct hit, without causing collateral damage.

US forces killed Hurras al-Deen senior military leader Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay (aka Jafar al-Turki) on February 23, after tracking him down in Syria's Idlib province.

A 13-second video released by the US military shows Talay driving a vehicle on an otherwise empty road in a rural area at the time of the strike.

Video footage, and later photos taken as members of the Syria Civil Defense inspected the scene, show the torn-apart drivers' seat had been targeted with precision, leaving the rest of the vehicle virtually intact.

Talay had been covertly attempting to establish a splinter group following the dissolution of Hurras al-Deen, media sources said.

Two days earlier, US forces eliminated Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, another senior leader of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Deen, in a "precision airstrike" in the same region.

"We will continue to relentlessly pursue these terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and US, allied and partner personnel in the region," said US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla.

The operation is part of a broader campaign to hunt down al-Qaeda affiliates wherever they attempt to establish footholds, far beyond their traditional bases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, regional security experts said.

Targeted attacks

Tashkent-based Afghan military analyst Mohammad Musa Hadafmand noted that "the US has developed sophisticated technologies to carry out targeted attacks, eliminating terrorist leaders with minimal collateral damage."

"These attacks are typically carried out during low-traffic hours or in non-residential areas," he told Salaam Times, noting the effective fusion of airstrikes and intelligence gathering.

"The success of such precision strikes demonstrates the evolution of US counterterrorism capabilities," he said.

"These strikes have not only reduced the operational capabilities of these groups but also have disrupted their leadership and coordination networks," said Germany-based counterterrorism analyst Ghulam Rasool Tawhidi.

"Talay's elimination is a significant step toward weakening al-Qaeda and its affiliated branches," he told Salaam Times.

His death is "a serious blow to al-Qaeda's operations in Syria, as Hurras al-Deen was one of the group's key regional arms," he added, noting that the United States "has demonstrated its commitment to fighting terrorism."