US says airstrike killed senior al-Qaida official in Syria
by Scripps National · ABC15 ArizonaA U.S. airstrike killed a senior leader of al-Qaida in Syria, according to U.S. Central Command spokesperson Maj. John Rigsbee.
The military said it used an MQ-9 aircraft to kill Abdul Hamid al-Matar in northwest Syria Friday.
"The removal of this al-Qaida senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians," Rigsbee said.
There were no indications that civilians were killed in the attack, Rigsbeee added.
The strike came days after an attack hit a U.S. outpost in Syria. No Americans were injured in the attack. It's not clear if Friday's strike on al-Qaida was in response to the earlier attack.