US Military Says it Killed Leader of al-Qaeda-Aligned Group in Syria

US soldiers and military vehicles as a base in Syria's northeastern town of Rmelan on October 29, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers and military vehicles as a base in Syria's northeastern town of Rmelan on October 29, 2023. (AFP)
TT

US Military Says it Killed Leader of al-Qaeda-Aligned Group in Syria

US soldiers and military vehicles as a base in Syria's northeastern town of Rmelan on October 29, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers and military vehicles as a base in Syria's northeastern town of Rmelan on October 29, 2023. (AFP)

The US military said it carried out a strike in Syria on Friday that killed a senior leader of an al-Qaeda aligned group, Reuters said.
The strike targeted Abu-’Abd al-Rahman al-Makki, a senior leader of the al-Qaeda-aligned Hurras al-Din, the US Central Command said in a post on X.
The strike took place in the Jabal al-Zawiya area of the opposition-held Idlib province.
The US military has carried out a series of attacks over the past several years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants in northwestern Syria.
“CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of terrorists ... who threaten the United States, its allies and partners, and regional stability,” the CENTCOM commander, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, said in a statement.



White House Sees Latest Gaza Talks as Constructive

 Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

White House Sees Latest Gaza Talks as Constructive

 Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises from an explosion in Gaza, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire have been "constructive," with some progress made, and all sides need to come together to work toward implementation of a proposed agreement, the White House said on Friday.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the discussions will continue on Friday with CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk representing the United States.

Kirby said Hamas should participate in the negotiations, which on Thursday included negotiators from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar but not Hamas.

"We're in Cairo. They're in Cairo. We need Hamas to participate, and we need to get down to the brass tacks of locking in these details. And that's what we're focused on here in the next, coming days here over the course of the weekend," Kirby said.

He said early signs in Cairo were that the discussions "have been constructive," but more talks are planned.

"Things are moving forward," he said, denying some news reports that the talks were near collapse.