The identification card found with Maher a-Akal after the US drone strike. Via Twitter.
ISIS leader in Syria Maher al-Akal who was killed in the July 12 US drone strike on the northern countryside of Aleppo was working with one of Turkey’s main proxies, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
Al-Akal was travelling on a motorcycle with one of his deputies in the district of Jandaris, which is located in the Turkish-occupied area of Afrin, when they were targeted by a US combat drone. His deputy survived the drone strike, but sustained some serious wounds.
According to the SOHR, al-Akal was enlisted in Ahrar al-Sharqiya, one of the largest Turkish-backed factions in Syria and a key member of the Syrian National Army coalition. The faction, which is mainly made up of militants from Syria’s northeastern region, has denied these claims.
Another evidence that indicate al-Akal affiliation with Turkey’s proxies is an identification card that was find with his body after the drone strike. The card, which carried the fake name “Khalid Subaih,” was issued by the Local Council of Afrin City, a local authority directly backed by Turkey and protected by its proxies.
In a statement on the strike, the US Central Command said that al-Akal was responsible for aggressively pursuing the development of ISIS networks outside of Iraq and Syria.
Al-Akal was the second senior leader of ISIS to be killed in Syria this year. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the overall leader of the terrorist group, died during a US raid that targeted his hideout in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib on February 3.
President Joe Biden praised the strike, saying that the elimination of al-Akal will significantly degrades the ability of ISIS to plan, resource, and conduct their operations in the Middle East.
“Like the U.S. operation in February that eliminated ISIS’s overall leader, it sends a powerful message to all terrorists who threaten our homeland and our interests around the world. The United States will be relentless in its efforts to bring you to justice,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
While the US is waging an assassinations campaign against the leaders of ISIS and other terrorist groups, it continues to turn a blind eye to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the largest affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria today. The group is currently the de-facto ruler of Greater Idlib.
