US aircraft on Nov. 18 killed a senior al Qaeda leader in Syria who is responsible for attacks on US troops in Afghanistan and had connections to terrorist groups across Southwest Asia. Abu Afghan al-Masri, who is originally from Egypt and joined the terror group in Afghanistan, was a “legacy leader” with the group, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a Tuesday briefing. The strike is “another blow” to al Qaeda inside Syria, he said.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
