The U.S.-led coalition said Monday its jets carried out strikes in northwest Syria a day earlier that an activist group reported had killed eight Islamist militants, including commanders, from an Al-Qaeda-linked group.
"This operation targeted AQ-S operatives responsible for plotting external attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians," U.S. Central Command said in a statement, using an acronym for Al-Qaeda in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said six commanders were among the slain militants from the Hurras al-Deen group.
The killed commanders included two Tunisians, two Algerians, an Egyptian and a Syrian, the Observatory added.
"With our allies and partners, we will continue to target Daesh [ISIS] and Al-Qaeda to prevent both groups from using Syria as a safe haven," U.S. Central Command said.
Hurras al-Deen maintains ties to Al-Qaeda and fights alongside the global Islamist militant network's former Syria branch, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham – which dominates most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighboring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.
Agence France Presse
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