US drone strike kills Islamic State leader in Syria

Following Russian military jets’ harassment of the same MQ-9 Reaper drones over Syria’s western region, an Islamic State group leader was killed by a US drone strike in Syria, according to the Defence Department.

Russian aircraft harassed three Reapers for nearly two hours on Friday while they were searching for the jihadist, according to a U.S. defence official. The official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to discuss specifics of the military operation, claimed that shortly after, the drones targeted and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorbike in the Aleppo region.

Al-Muhajir, according to the official, often operated in the east but was at the time of the strike in northwest Syria.

No further information was given, so it wasn’t immediately obvious how the American military determined that the victim was al-Muhajir.

There are no indications that any civilians were killed in the hit, according to a statement released by US Central Command on Sunday. The military was examining information that suggested a civilian may have been hurt.

US authorities have been complaining about Russian fighter jets in the area flying in a dangerous and bothersome manner around American drones for three days in a row, and on Friday was no exception.

Lt General Alex Grynkewich, head of US Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement that during the Friday encounter, the Russian planes “flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.”

The first incident took place early on Wednesday when three American MQ-9 drones were executing a mission against IS and “engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behaviour” by Russian military aircraft, according to the US military. The US military claimed on Thursday that Russian fighter planes over Syria were flying “incredibly unsafe and unprofessionally” against both French and US aircraft.

Air Forces Central Command spokesperson Colonel Michael Andrews stated that the encounter on Thursday lasted for about an hour and involved close fly-bys by one SU-34 and one SU-35, both of which fired flares directly into the MQ-9.

According to US authorities, the drones were unarmed during prior flights but were armed on Friday when pursuing al-Muhajir.

“We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, in the statement.

The Russian and Syrian forces have begun a six-day joint training exercise that will culminate on Monday, according to Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, director of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, who made this announcement last week.

In other remarks published by Syrian state media, Gurinov expressed Russian worry over drone flights by the US-led coalition over northern Syria, describing them as “systematic violations of protocols” meant to prevent military encounters.

(With agency inputs)