US claims to kill Islamic State leader in Syria drone strike

WASHINGTON — A US drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.

Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a US defense official says, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, says the official, who is not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation.

The official says al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.

It is not immediately clear how the US military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; no other details were provided.

In a statement, US Central Command says there are no indications any civilians were killed in the strike. The military is assessing reports a civilian may have been injured.

Friday was the third day in a row that US officials complained that Russian fighter jets in the region had conducted unsafe and harassing flights around American drones.

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of US Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement that during the Friday encounter, the Russian planes “flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.”