MESOP Syria Daily: What Now in the US War on Insurgents?
Both the US and insurgents appear to be assessing their next steps after Wednesday’s American airstrikes on parts of the insurgency in northwest Syria.
It was confirmed on Thursday that the US struck not only the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra — which was attacked with missiles on September 22, the first day of the American aerial intervention in Syria — but also the prominent group Ahrar al-Sham, part of Syria’s largest insurgent bloc Islamic Front.
The US attacked Jabhat al-Nusra in Sarmada in Idlib Province, with one assault reportedly aiming at the vehicle of a senior commander. Another of the five airstrikes was on Ahrar al-Sham near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey.
Unnamed US officials put out the story that they were again trying to kill leading members of the “Khorasan Group”, a claimed terrorist cell planning an attack on the US. The Group was also the nominal target of the September 22 missiles, days after its threat was publicly declared by Washington for the first time.
There was no confirmation of the deaths of “Khorasan” members, although a Defense Department official fed the story to the US media that a French bombmaker, David (Daoud) Drugeon, was slain. A spokesman for US Central Command, General Lloyd Austin, declared that Drugeon was “one of the leadership elements and one of the most dangerous elements in the organization. Anytime we can take their leadership out, it’s a good thing.”
Meanwhile, activists posted video of civilian casualties, including four children.
Footage of the aftermath of the attack on Jabhat al-Nusra in the town of Harem:
The US attacks came days after Jabhat al-Nusra defeated the Syrian Revolutionary Front, which has been supported by the Americans, in a series of clashes in Idlib Province. Ahrar al-Sham said it was not involved in the fighting; however, the defection of SRF members to the group reportedly prompted SRF raids which led to the battle with Jabhat al-Nusra.
The US Central Command insisted that decimation of the “Khorasan Group” was its only objective and said, “The strikes were not in response to the Nusrah Front’s clashes with the Syrian moderate opposition, they added, and did not target the Nusrah Front as a whole.
Leading Ahrar al-Sham members revealed the American attack on their position. They denounced ““something that would not benefit anyone but the criminal regime” of President Assad; however, they did not indicate how they would react.
Jabhat al-Nusra also maintained silence on its next steps. On Tuesday, its leader Abu Mohammad al-Joulani hailed the victory over the Syrian Revolutionary Front, which he said had been supported by US and Saudi intelligence. He said the decision to “end” the SRF had been taken with Ahrar al-Sham and other factions.
The Islamist faction also moved into positions vacated by Harakat Hazm, another group provided with US-made heavy weapons. Jabhat al-Nusra attacked Harakat Hazm when the latter tried to stop reinforcements for the fight against the Syrian Revolutionary Front.
(Featured Photo: Jabhat al-Nusra position in Harem in Idlib Province, reportedly hit on Wednesday by US airstrike)