As coordination between the United States and the Syrian government against the Islamic State grows, the US strike that killed a senior rebel figure in early October is widely seen by Syrian officials as a warning to armed Salafi groups that remain defiant against Syria’s new rulers.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced earlier this month that its forces conducted a strike in Syria on Oct. 2 that resulted in the death of Muhammad Abd-al-Wahhab al-Ahmad, the No. 2 of Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group based in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. The militant — known also by his nom de guerre of Abu al-Darda al-Kurdi — died in a drone strike while traveling in his car near Harem in northern Idlib. CENTCOM described him as a “senior al-Qaeda-affiliated attack planner,” and the strike appeared to be a routine US operation against al-Qaeda.

Yet four Syrian officials interviewed by Al-Monitor say that they believe the strike was essentially meant to send a message to Ansar al-Islam militants and other rebels who refuse to either lay down arms or integrate into the new Syrian national army as the Damascus-based government demands. 

Who is Ansar al-Islam?