"A US airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar," said Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee in a statement.

 

 

There were no known casualties from the strike, he said, adding it was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft.

 

 

Rigsbee did not say if the US drone strike was carried out in retaliation to the assault on the Tanf base.

 

 

 

"The removal of this al-Qaeda senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization's ability to further plot and carry out global attacks," he said.

 

 

At the end of September, the Pentagon killed Salim Abu-Ahmad, another senior Al-Qaeda commander in Syria, in an airstrike near Idlib in the country's northwest.

 

 

He had been responsible for "planning, funding, and approving trans-regional Al-Qaeda attacks," according to Centcom.

 

 

"Al-Qaeda continues to present a threat to America and our allies. Al-Qaeda uses Syria as a safe haven to rebuild, coordinate with external affiliates, and plan external operations," Rigsbee said.