AFP
According to the Pentagon, the air strikes launched against Islamic State jihadists in Syria by the US and several partner nations Monday night also disrupted "imminent attack plotting" by an Al Qaeda franchise.
US Central Command released a statement on the strikes Tuesday morning, wherein they said the operation included eight US air strikes that were aimed at the hardline Khorasan Group, which is made up of former Al-Qaeda operatives and has links to the terror organization's leadership.
"The United States has also taken action to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests conducted by a network of seasoned Al-Qaeda veterans -- sometimes referred to as the Khorasan Group -- who have established a safe haven in Syria to develop external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations," the statement said.
The statement noted the attacks on the Khorasan group "were undertaken only by U.S. assets" while the 14 strikes against Islamic State targets were conducted with "partner nations, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates."
"All aircraft safely exited the strike areas," the statement added.
The US side of the attack featured a mix of fighter, bomber, remotely piloted aircraft and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to conduct 14 strikes against Islamic State (which is also known ISIS and ISIL). According to the Pentagon, the Khorasan Group targets included "training camps, an explosives and munitions production facility, a communication building and command and control facilities."
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri reportedly sent the Khorasan Group to Syria. Zawahiri allegedly believed the surge of foreign fighters into Syria to join the fighting against the regime of the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, would create an opportunity for Khorasan to recruit Western passport holders to join its efforts.
Though they initially had a relationship with ISIS, like Al Qaeda, the Khorasan Group is said to have distanced itself from the so-called Islamic State. Reportedly, the Khorasan Group is working with Jabhat al-Nusra, the official al Qaeda affiliate in Syria and attempting to obtain bombs from Yemen that can be detonated by new Western recruits.
