Enab Baladi – Hussam al-Mahmoud
Washington has intensified its airstrikes in Syria recently, targeting leaders of the Guardians of Religion Organization (the branch of al-Qaeda in Syria), just days after the group announced its dissolution amidst developments in Syria and the overthrow of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime.
The latest of these strikes took place on February 21, when International Coalition aircraft targeted a person near the town of al-Dana in Idlib countryside, northern Syria.
A correspondent for Enab Baladi in the area reported that the drone targeted a Hyundai Santa Fe vehicle, noting that the Syria Civil Defence teams retrieved a body from the car. The military observatory “80” (Abu Amin) stated that the strike was conducted by a coalition drone of the “MQ9” model.
Shortly after the strike, researcher Mohammed Munir al-Faqir announced the death of Wasim Bayraqdar, brother of the Director of Endowments in Damascus, Samer Bayraqdar, saying that “the Damascus movement” bids farewell to one of its prominent figures, Wasim Bayraqdar, after his death in the northern Idlib countryside.
The spokesperson for the Syrian Islamic Council, Motee al-Bateen, also expressed condolences to the Director of Endowments in Damascus, Samer Bayraqdar, following the death of his brother in the town of Sarmada.
The next day, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced its responsibility for the killing of Bayraqdar, describing him as the “leader of al-Qaeda in northwestern Syria.”
In a statement by Centcom via X, US Central Command forces conducted a precise airstrike in northwestern Syria, resulting in the death of Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, “one of the senior leaders in the terrorist organization (Guardians of Religion), affiliated with al-Qaeda.”
According to the statement, the strike comes as part of US Central Command’s ongoing commitment, alongside partners in the region, to disrupt and diminish the efforts of “terrorists” in planning, organizing, and executing attacks against civilians and the military of the United States and allies and partners throughout the region and beyond.
The commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, stated in response to the operation, “We will relentlessly pursue and destroy terrorist threats, regardless of their location, to protect our homeland and our allies and partners.”
Guardians of Religion
The Guardians of Religion Organization (Huras al-Din) emerged as a branch of al-Qaeda in Syria in February 2018. The general leadership of al-Qaeda issued a statement in January 2018 implicitly confirming the spread of its elements in Syria for the first time since the al-Nusra Front severed its ties with it.
The Guardians of Religion includes groups such as Jaysh al-Malahim, the Coastal Army, the Badia Army, the Coastal Battalions, the Kabul Brigade, Soldiers of Sharia, and remnants of Soldiers of the al-Aqsa. Additionally, several small factions with a history of ideological and leadership ties to al-Qaeda joined, alongside numerous foreign European fighters.
Over the years, the organization has faced internal pressure from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in addition to strikes from the coalition that have resulted in the deaths of several of its leaders, and this did not cease even after the organization announced its dissolution on January 28.
The organization did not control any land or specific area, largely using small arms and light weapons such as “AK-47” rifles, mortars, and rocket shells in its strikes against the previous regime’s positions.
Serious engagement: What are the concerns?
Prior to this strike, the United States, through Centcom, executed a similar operation targeting a prominent leader in the group, which it announced on February 16. The statement indicated that the leader killed in a precise airstrike in northwestern Syria was a senior official responsible for financial and logistical matters within the Guardians of Religion Organization.
Washington is treating these strikes seriously, increasing their frequency since the organization announced its dissolution. This operation elicited a comment from US President Donald Trump, which departed from the usual comments made by the US administration upon the death of significant organizational figures, such as leaders of the Islamic State (Al-Baghdadi, al-Quraishi, and others).
On February 18, Trump wrote via the Truth Social platform that the US executed a precise airstrike against “one of the members of al-Qaeda in Syria, where the terrorist leader was working with al-Qaeda throughout the region.”
The US President praised the forces of Centcom that carried out the operation, stating, “Congratulations to the commander of US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, and to the US fighters who achieved justice for yet another jihadist that threatens America and our allies and partners.”
On January 30 (two days after the organization’s dissolution), the US conducted a similar airstrike resulting in the death of a leader in the organization in northwestern Syria, stating at the time that it managed to “neutralize” Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir, one of the prominent elements in the Guardians of Religion.
Political researcher Ammar Farhoud explained to Enab Baladi that the ongoing US targeting of figures from the Guardians of Religion, despite the organization’s declaration of dissolution and the absence of its public activity over the years preceding this dissolution, is linked to the possibility that these figures could pose a future threat from the American point of view.
The US does not wish to allow these figures any room to maneuver or rest in order to prepare for a possible later stage. Moreover, these strikes serve as a reminder that the US cannot ignore the existence of a transnational ideology at the individual level, not just at the level of organizations.
Regarding the future of these strikes and targeting, researcher Farhoud predicted their continuation as long as the current authority in Syria is unable to fully control the security scene in the country, which means that the United States is maintaining its security in its hands, and has not yet acknowledged that the file concerning these groups has entirely become the responsibility of the new Syrian administration. Instead, it remains a matter of cooperation between the two sides (Damascus and Washington).
Ongoing risks
The repeated targeting associated with the path of the Guardians of Religion has coincided with local pressures in the north by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (which was dissolved in January alongside many opposition factions).
With each targeting of members of the Guardians of Religion, fingers were pointed at Tahrir al-Sham, allegedly standing behind the operation and providing intelligence to the International Coalition to eliminate the organization. This was met with repeated denials from the HTS, despite a clear lack of alignment between the two sides that surfaced during clashes between Tahrir al-Sham and the Stay Firm Operation Room, which included the most prominent jihadist factions, with the Guardians of Religion leading the way in June 2020, resulting in casualties on both sides.
Despite the declaration of the dissolution of the Guardians of Religion, the risks posed by organizations with intersecting ideas remain present in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This was acknowledged by Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra in a televised interview with Al-Araby television on January 21, when he discussed the existing threat from the Islamic State organization and efforts to combat it by the Syrian Defense Ministry and security apparatus.
The organization has issued threats against the Syrian government, attacking factions that participated in the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation (from November 27 to December 8, 2024, which resulted in the overthrow of the regime). They described these factions as “pawns” in the hands of Turkey and other countries, executing a “proxy war.”
They also questioned the rationale for opposing Bashar al-Assad’s regime if the revolution would lead to a constitutional governing body, which does not align with the organization’s literature.