U.S. military says senior al-Qaeda leader killed in drone strike in Syria

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military said on Friday that it had killed a senior al-Qaeda leader in a drone strike in Syria.

"A U.S. airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar," U.S. Central Command spokesperson John Rigsbee said in a statement. "We have no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike, which was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft."

"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.