US military says it killed al-Qaida leader in drone strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it killed a senior al-Qaida leader in an airstrike Friday in northwest Syria. Army Maj. John Rigsbee, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, says in a statement that Abdul Hamid al-Matar was killed by a drone strike. Rigsbee says the killing of al-Matar will disrupt al-Qaida’s “ability to further plot and carry out global attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians.” The U.S. strike came two days after a U.S. military outpost in southern Syria was hit by a coordinated attack that included drones and rockets. U.S. officials said no American troops stationed there were injured or killed.