Senior Al Qaeda leader confirmed killed in US drone strike in Syria

A SENIOR Al Qaeda leader, Salim Abu-Ahmad, has been confirmed killed in Syria by a US drone strike

A senior Al Qaeda leader, Salim Abu-Ahmad, has been confirmed by the Pentagon as killed by a US drone strike in the Idlib province of Syria, on September 20. He was travelling in rebel-controlled territory along a rural road, in a vehicle that was targetted by the drone, although his identity was not confirmed until Thursday, September 30.

A spokesman for the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Army Maj. John Rigsbee, told Military Times on Thursday 30, “Salim Abu-Ahmad was responsible for planning, funding, and approving trans-regional al-Qaeda attacks”.

Adding, “There are no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike. This strike continues U.S. operations to degrade international terrorist networks and target terrorist leaders who seek to attack the U.S. homeland and its interests and allies abroad”.

The White Helmets, Syria’s Civil Defense team last week confirmed that an unidentified body had been removed from a charred vehicle that had been split in two, as it was travelling to the east of Idlib province, lying at the side of the Idlib-Binnish road.

It was later confirmed by US Central Command that a ‘kinetic counterterrorism strike’ had been conducted against a senior leader of Al Qaeda near Idlib province, but they stopped short of identifying who their target had been.

In a statement, Navy Lt. Josie Lynne Lenny, said, “Initial indications are that we struck the individual we were aiming for, and there are no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike”.

Idlib province has been the scene of previous US attacks, including when the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was thought to be in hiding there after fleeing eastern Syria, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

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