The Pentagon on Thursday confirmed it killed a senior al Qaeda leader in Syria, saying the strike is a “significant disruption” to the group. Abu al-Farai al-Masri, an Egyptian national also known as Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, was killed in an Oct. 3 strike near Idlib, Syria. The strike will serve as “a blow to their ability to conduct external attacks,” Cook said. Al-Masri is a long-standing al Qaeda member who previously had ties to Osama bin Laden, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“On Oct. 6, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies was visited by one of Ukraine’s top F-16 fighter pilots, known by his call sign ‘AB.’ His visit offered a rare and candid glimpse into the ongoing transformation of Ukraine’s Air Force and the pivotal role of the F-16 in defending…