U.S.-led Coalition Denies Responsibility For Drone Strike On Northern Idlib

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The U.S.-led coalition has denied responsibility for the December 3 drone strike on the northern countryside of Syria’s Idlib.

A spokesman for the coalition, Col. Myles B. Caggins, told Enab Baladi on December 6 that the coalition didn’t carry out the strike, which killed prominent terrorist Abu Ahmad al-Muhajir and a man who was escorting him.

“The International Coalition didn’t carry out any airstrikes on northwest Syria,” the spokesman said responding to a question by the pro-opposition news outlet.

Several experts had concluded that the U.S.-made AGM-114R9X Hellfire missile, which is armed with a kinetic warhead with pop-out blades, was used in the strike on al-Muhajir’s van. Photos showing an aerated blade in the strike scene backed this conclusion.

Initial reports claimed that al-Muhajir, an Algerian national, was a commander in the ranks of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Oddly enough, the terrorist group denied this.

An official in HTS told Enab Baladi that al-Muhajir was not a commander in the group’s ranks, despite the fact that he was training its elite special forces, known as the “Red Bands.” According to the official, al-Muhajir was also working as a trainer for other groups.

The security ID of al-Muhajir issued by HTS, confirming that he was working for the terrorist group.

The last confirmed U.S. attack on HTS took place on February 26 of 2017, when a drone of the coalition assassinated Abu Khayr al-Masri, a prominent leader of the terrorist group, using an AGM-114R9X missile.

The assassination of al-Muhajir may have been carried out by another side, like the CIA or even Russia, which may have developed its own equivalent of the AGM-114R9X.

More on this topic:

• 14 Russian Airstrikes Target Terrorists’ Positions In Southern Idlib (Videos)

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