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A2 u.s. news
Monday 10 July 2023

Defense Dept. says drone strike kills an Islamic State group leader

in Syria

By LOLITA C. BALDOR flying overhead searching discuss the matter and
Associated Press for the militant on Friday, spoke on condition of ano-
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. a U.S. defense official said, nymity to describe details
drone strike killed an Islamic when they were harassed of the military operation.
State group leader in Syria for about two hours by Rus- The official said al-Muhajir
hours after the same MQ-9 sian aircraft. Shortly after was in northwest Syria at
Reaper drones were ha- that, the drones struck and the time of the strike, but
rassed by Russian military killed Usamah al-Muhajir, that he usually operated in
jets over the western part of who was riding a motor- the east.
the country, according to cycle in the Aleppo region, It was not immediately
the Defense Department. said the official, who was clear how the U.S. military
Three Reapers had been not authorized to publicly confirmed that the person

In this image from video released by the U.S. Air Force, a
Russian SU-35 flies near a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone on
Wednesday, July 5, 2023, over Syria.
Associated Press

killed was al-Muhajir; no over Syria.
other details were provid- Col. Michael Andrews, Air
ed. Forces Central Command
In a statement Sunday, U.S. spokesman, said the Thurs-
Central Command said day incident lasted almost
there are no indications an hour and included close
any civilians were killed in fly-bys, by one SU-34 and
the strike. The military was one SU-35 and that they
assessing reports a civilian deployed flares directly
may have been injured. into the MQ-9.
Friday was the third day in a U.S. officials said the drones
row that U.S. officials com- were unarmed in the earli-
plained that Russian fighter er flights, but were carrying
jets in the region had con- weapons on Friday, as they
ducted unsafe and harass- were hunting al-Muhajir.
ing flights around American “We have made it clear
drones. that we remain committed
Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, to the defeat of ISIS through-
head of U.S. Air Forces out the region,” said Gen.
Central Command, said in Erik Kurilla, commander of
a statement that during the U.S. Central Command, in
Friday encounter, the Rus- the statement.
sian planes “flew 18 unpro- Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov,
fessional close passes that head of the Russian Rec-
caused the MQ-9s to react onciliation Center for Syria,
to avoid unsafe situations.” said this past week that the
The first friction occurred Russian and Syrian militaries
Wednesday morning when had started a six-day joint
Russian military aircraft training that ends Monday.
“engaged in unsafe and Gurinov added in com-
unprofessional behavior” ments carried by Syrian
as three American MQ-9 state media that Moscow
drones were conducting a was concerned about the
mission against IS, the U.S. flights of drones by the U.S.-
military said. On Thursday, led coalition over northern
the U.S. military said Rus- Syria, calling them “sys-
sian fighter aircraft flew “in- tematic violations of pro-
credibly unsafe and unpro- tocols” designed to avoid
fessionally” against both clashes between the two
French and U.S. aircraft militaries.q