A U.S.-led coalition drone strike near Sarmada, a city in Syria’s northwestern Idlib Governorate, reportedly killed two individuals early Wednesday morning, according to multiple sources.
The individuals were killed when a strike hit them as they were traveling on a motorcycle near a roundabout close to the Syrian-Turkish border.
🔴 BREAKING: A U.S. drone strike near Sarmada in #Idlib killed two men on a motorcycle—identified as Muhammed Fayyad Al Dhaiban & Nayef Hamoud Aliwi. Locals claim they were civilians, but others allege ties to militancy. The R9X “ninja” missile was used, with intel allegedly… pic.twitter.com/eTUlW7lLsh
— Karim Franceschi (@karimfranceschi) January 15, 2025
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) identified the individuals as Mohammad Fayyad al-Dhayban and Nayef Hamoud al-Aliwi, both from eastern Idlib. Al-Aliwi was reportedly a former leader of the Hurras al-Din faction, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
According to local sources, the strike also injured a bystander. Missile fragments were found embedded in the road near the site of the attack.
The latest strike is part of the coalition’s ongoing commitment to counterterrorism in Syria, particularly in areas where ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) activity remains a concern.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), similar operations in Syria have targeted high-ranking ISIS leaders to prevent the group’s resurgence. On January 10, another coalition drone strike in the Al-Rasafah desert in Al-Raqqah killed senior ISIS figure Mohammed Al-Jadou’a.
In 2024, ISIS conducted nearly 500 operations in regions controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces and in the Syrian desert, resulting in the deaths of 750 civilians and combatants. Countermeasures by coalition forces and allied factions reportedly killed 117 ISIS members and commanders during the same year.
