A Saudi militant from an al-Qaeda-linked group was killed in a drone strike in northwestern Syria on Friday while he was riding a motorcycle, the US military and a war monitor said.
The attack in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of the opposition-held Idlib province was carried out by the US-led coalition, which was set up several years ago to fight the Islamic State militant group.
The US military has carried out several strikes targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants in northwestern Syria in recent years.
The US Central Command said in a statement that its forces had killed Abu Abdul Rahman Makki, a senior leader of the Horas al-Din, or “Guardians of Religion” group, in a “kinetic strike.” It said Makki was “responsible for overseeing terrorist operations from Syria.”
“CENTCOM is committed to the enduring defeat of terrorists … who threaten the United States, its allies and partners, and regional stability,” Centcom commander Gen. Michael Eric Kurilla said in a statement.
Horas al-Din is composed of hardline al-Qaeda members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest rebel group in Idlib province.
The Britain-based war monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Makki was a Saudi citizen and a former leader of the now-defunct extremist Jund al-Aqsa militant group.
Local media activist Kenana Hindawi said two missiles were fired at the motorcycle Makki was riding.
The Observatory noted that Makki had also previously been imprisoned by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Two members of the Horas al-Din group were killed in a drone strike in Idlib last year.