By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-12-02

From the mountains of Afghanistan to Syria's battlegrounds, the United States maintains an unrelenting hunt for al-Qaeda operatives, with precision strikes and local alliances steadily dismantling the extremist network's capabilities.

"The United States sensed the danger inherent in the spread of al-Qaeda's ideology and its offshoots early on," military expert Yahya Mohammed Ali told Al-Fassel, noting it has played a pioneering role in confronting extremism.

US counterterrorism campaigns have yielded "successive successes," Ali said, built on what experts identify as three core elements: targeted strikes, intelligence gathering and cooperation with regional forces.

From the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his Pakistani hideout to a 2022 drone strike that eliminated his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, US capabilities have grown increasingly sophisticated.

The al-Zawahiri operation marked a milestone as "the first known over-the-horizon strike by the US on a target in Afghanistan since Washington withdrew its forces from the country," AFP reported.

Using advanced surveillance and a specialized Hellfire R9X missile designed to minimize civilian casualties, according to ABC News, the strike exemplified evolving tactical finesse.

In September, the US military struck al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Deen in northwest Syria, killing senior leader Marwan Bassam Abd-al-Rauf and eight others.

This followed the killing of another of the group's top-tier leaders, Abu-Abd al-Rahman al-Makki, barely a month earlier.

Beyond direct strikes

The US strategy extends beyond direct strikes, with military expert Wael Abdul Muttalib noting that US forces train indigenous fighters -- the "owners of the land" -- to maintain security after US withdrawal.

In Iraq, this dual approach proved decisive. "In addition to numerous kinetic operations against al-Qaeda leadership, US leaders also partnered with local leaders to isolate them politically," said Anthony Pfaff, nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Iraq initiative.

"As a result, the United States and its Iraqi partners were able to drive al-Qaeda leadership from major urban areas," he added.

This template has shown similar success in Syria, where US forces work closely with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). "The coordination between them has been striking and achieves operational objectives with precision," Abdul Muttalib said.

Technology remains a crucial force multiplier. Advanced platforms like MQ-9 Reaper drones and sophisticated surveillance systems enable precise targeting while minimizing risks.

"The armed forces have leveraged advanced technology not only to secure victories but also to preserve the lives of soldiers and reduce losses," Abdul Muttalib said.

While al-Qaeda's capability has been severely diminished across Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, Ali cautioned that sleeper cells persist, though they "no longer pose a real threat" in these regions.