A U.S. drone strike killed senior al Qaeda leader Abu Afghan al-Masri in Syria Nov. 18, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
“Al-Masri, an Egyptian, originally joined al Qaeda in Afghanistan, later moved to its Syrian affiliate,” said Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary.
“He had ties to terrorist groups operating throughout Southwest Asia, including groups responsible for attacking U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and those plotting to attack the West.
“This is someone who has been on our radar for some time,” Cook said.