British special forces set up a secretive ‘kill’ operation against the top bomb-maker in the Islamic State in Syria ahead of David Lammy’s visit, according to security sources.
Abu Hasan al-Jazrawi, known as the mastermind behind ‘Mad Max’ suicide truck attacks on Western military in the region, was killed when a Hellfire missile targeted him on his motorbike, controlled by a Reaper drone.
The hit was ordered on June 10. Three weeks later, the foreign secretary became the first British minister in 14 years to visit Syria, where he committed a £94.5 million pledge in support of Syria’s new government, run by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Al-Jazrawi was not connected to any direct threat to Mr Lammy but was linked to a failed attack on Damascus’s Shia Sayyida Zaynab shrine back in March, and thought to be plotting new attacks.
According to the Mail, an intelligence source said: “The country is a safer place with him gone. An attack on the FS [Foreign Secretary] would be an attack on all of us.”
Number 10 has played down claims that the strike was specifically authorised by the Prime Minister, stating that under Operation Shader (the name given to the UK’s fight against the Islamic State) decisions over “kills” are given to the commanders.
British and American special forces tracked Al Jazrawi to a bunker near Aleppo in Western Syria.
The bomb-maker is thought to have adopted various aliases when plotting his attacks and suspected to be linked to the leader of the Islamic State in Syria, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
The Mad Max (a Hollywood action film franchise) suicide trucks were replete with bombs and covered in steel plates used against Iraqi and US forces during the battle for Mosul in 2017.
He is also thought to be linked to the bombing of the Christian St Elias Church in Damascus in June, killing 25 attendees.
A military source said: “There is no indication the terrorists knew the Foreign Secretary was visiting, although it had been arranged weeks in advance and could have been leaked.
“This was a strategic initiative to protect our allies in the region and disrupt any possible attack during the minister's visit.”
During his visit, Mr Lammy said: “There is renewed hope for the Syrian people, It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”
The drone that killed Al-Jazrawi – the RAF Reaper MQ-9 – first took flight in Helmand, Afghanistan in 2008. They were previously operated from the US Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, before control was switched to the UK’s 13 Squadron based in RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.
A Reaper drone, laser guided with a range of 12,000 yards, can hold eight Hellfire missiles.
