US aircraft on Sunday targeted a meeting of al Qaeda operatives in Northwest Syria, killing a senior leader whose ties to the group stretch back to operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Pentagon on Monday said the strikes targeted the leaders, who are linked to Al-Nusra, the al Qaeda affiliate group in Syria. The strike killed Abu Firas al-Suri, who worked alongside Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and was linked to Yemen and then Syria. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said during a Monday briefing the strike occurred in the Northwest region of Syria, but declined to name a specific city or region. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike killed up to 20 militants, including al-Suri’s son, reported the BBC. (Watch the briefing.)
2026 NDAA: 5 Highlights for Airmen and Guardians
Dec. 18, 2025
President Donald Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 18, a day after Congress passed the annual defense policy bill for the 65th consecutive year. Here’s what it means for the Air Force and Space Force.
