Senior Al Qaeda leader killed in US drone strike, says Pentagon
Move comes two days after base used by coalition fighting Daesh was assaulted
by AFP/Washington · Khaleej TimesA senior Al Qaeda leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria, the Pentagon said Friday.
The strike comes two days after a base in southern Syria, used by the US-led coalition fighting Daesh, was assaulted.
“A US airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar,” said Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee in a statement.
There were no known casualties from the strike, he said, adding it was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft.
“The removal of this Al Qaeda senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further the plot and carry out global attacks,” he said.
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At the end of September, the Pentagon killed Salim Abu-Ahmad, another senior Al-Qaeda commander in Syria, in an airstrike near Idlib in the country’s northwest.
He had been responsible for “planning, funding, and approving trans-regional Al Qaeda attacks,” according to Centcom.
“Al Qaeda continues to present a threat to America and our allies,” Rigsbee said.
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