U.S. airstrike kills top leader of al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday that it killed a top leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria with a precision airstrike late last month.

Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, the senior military leader of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), was killed in the Feb. 23 attack in northern Syria, officials said.

The announcement of the strike came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that President Donald Trump loosened some restrictions on going after terrorist leaders overseas.

“As we have said in the past, we will continue to relentlessly pursue these terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command, said in announcing Talay’s death.

CENTCOM released footage of the aerial attack on its social media account.