Senior al-Qaida leader killed in US drone strike in Syria

The US military announced late Friday it had killed a senior al-Qaida leader during a drone strike near the Suluk town in Syria.

“A US airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaida leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar,” Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee said in a statement.

“The removal of this al-Qaida senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians,” the statement added.

A US outpost in southern Syria was attacked two days ago, but the statement did not say whether the drone strike was carried out in retaliation. 

jsi/ (AFP, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/senior-al-qaida-leader-killed-in-us-drone-strike-in-syria/a-59602561?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf