A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
On December 28, at least two US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper combat drones were spotted over the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
The drones were flying over town of Saramada which is located in the northern countryside of Idlib, near the border with Turkey. The town is an infamous stronghold of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of the region.
In photos released by the Macro Media Center, both MQ-9s appeared to be armed. The drones were also carrying unidentified pods, likely used for communication or intelligence gathering.
طائرتان استطلاع يحلقان بشكل دائري في سماء بلدة سرمدا بريف ادلب
📷عيسى المصطو pic.twitter.com/Nwu3c6f3Xj
— المركز الإعلامي العام MMC (@MMCSYR) December 28, 2021
Earlier in December, at least five US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper combat drones were spotted over the town of al-Dana and the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, which are located near Saramada. HTS maintains a strong presence in both the town and the crossing.
US drone carried out a number of strikes on Greater Idlib over the past year. The most recent strike, which took place on December 3, claimed the life of Musab Khalid Kin’an, a former bodyguard of al-Qaeda’s Horas al-Din senior leader Abu Abdulrahman al-Makki. The drone strike also wounded five civilians, all members of the same family.
Under the rule of HTS, Greater Idlib became the largest safe haven for wanted terrorists in the Middle East. Despite this, not a single commander or fighter of the terrorist group was targeted by the US in the past three year. The Turkish military, who maintains a large presence in the region, is also turning a blind eye to the group’s growing influence.
What are they doing ?. Observing what is going on and who is getting the ugly goat.
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