A U.S. airstrike executed in Syria resulted in the death of senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command Spokesperson Army Maj. John Rigsbee.
The statement noted that there were no signs of civilian casualties as a consequence of the attack, which was carried out with an MQ-9 aircraft on Friday.
“Al-Qaeda continues to present a threat to America and our allies. Al-Qaeda uses Syria as a safe haven to rebuild, coordinate with external affiliates, and plan external operations. Al-Qaeda also uses Syria as a base for threats reaching into Syria, Iraq and beyond. The removal of this al-Qaeda 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,” the statement said.
