TAZAMA PICHA 20 JINSI MAREKANI WANAVYOENDELEA KUSHAMBULIA KIKUNDI CHA ISIS

Fears of an imminent terror atrocity to rival 9/11 prompted a wave of missile strikes in Syria yesterday.

The target was an Al Qaeda-linked group apparently nearing ‘the execution phase’ of a plot against airports and passenger planes in the West.

The American attack on the little-known Khorasan group was separate from airstrikes on 14 Islamic State targets in Syria carried out by the US and five Arab nations.

In the early hours of yesterday Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched against hideouts, training camps and a bomb-making factory used by Khorasan and Islamic State.

Up to 120 IS fighters were said to have been killed in the attacks, which prompted fears for the safety of Western hostages taken by the Islamist extremists, including British taxi driver Alan Henning and photographer John Cantlie.

The Pentagon said the Khorasan cell of Al Qaeda veterans were nearing ‘the execution phase’ of an attack in Europe or the US.

The group of seasoned terrorists planned to 'imminently'  attack a US airliner or other target using a bomb without any metal parts, toothpaste tubes and clothes dipped in explosives, an unnamed US official told CNN.

President Barack Obama ordered the strikes after intelligence reports discovered the plot this week, officials claimed.

While IS has focused on seizing territory in Iraq and Syria for an Islamic ‘caliphate’, the little-known Khorasan cell has specialised in making sophisticated bombs for attacks on the West.

Its latest plot focused on international airports and passenger planes. Intelligence suggested extremists were already in place in Europe and America, heightening fears they were ready to strike.

The US launched eight attacks against Khorasan targets west of Aleppo, along with the 14 strikes on IS helped by its five Arab allies.

The air campaign – described as ‘shock without the awe’ by one US official – involved fighter jets from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan. Qatar was also named among the allies as it hosts a US Central Command forward base.