'Bin Laden ally killed in US airstrike in Syria'

The Pentagon says US warplanes have killed 11 al-Qaeda members, including an associate of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in strikes near the Syrian city of Idlib this month.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Jeff Davis said 10 al-Qaeda members were killed in the attack on February 3.

The second attack on February 4 resulted in the death of Abu Hani al-Masri, who had close ties to the former al-Qaeda leader.

Al-Masri is said to have established and operated al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s.

He also had close ties to Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded bin Laden after his death by American forces in 2011.

“These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda’s ability to plan and conduct external attacks against the United States and its interests around the world,” said Colonel Davis.

Al-Qaeda's influence in Syria is mainly achieved through the group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

In mid-2016, the Nusra Front announced that it no longer had any ties to any foreign group, fueling speculation that it had severed ties with al-Qaeda.

However, the leadership structure of the Fateh al-Sham Front is believed to have tense ties to al-Qaeda.

Last week, a US military operation against al-Qaeda in Yemen resulted in the death of an American commando and reportedly the deaths of up to 16 civilians, including children.

Mr. Trump's administration, however, called the operation a success because it said it led to the collection of valuable information.

Source: BBC