A U.S. military drone strike in northwest Syria has killed a senior al-Qaeda leader on Oct. 22, the U.S. Central Command announced.
Abdul Hamid al-Matar was killed in the vicinity of the town of Suluk, U.S. Army Maj. John Rigsbee, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in a statement. The strike was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft—an armed, remotely piloted aircraft.
There are “no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike.”
“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 U.S. will continue to target members of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations who intend to harm the U.S. homeland.”
It’s unclear whether the Oct. 22 drone strike was carried out in retaliation.