U.S. military says airstrike killed senior al-Qaida leader in Syria
A U.S.-led airstrike in northwest Syria on Friday killed senior al-Qaida leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar, according to the U.S. Central Command.
The strike was conducted in the vicinity of Suluk using an MQ-9 aircraft, U.S. Army Maj. John Rigsbee said in a statement. There have been no indications of civilian casualties, he added.
“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.
The strike follows another counter-terrorism operation in Idlib, Syria, last month, where U.S. forces struck a senior al-Qaida leader who they didn’t identify.
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