U.S. airstrike in Syria kills 'senior al-Qaeda leader,' CENTCOM says

The United States military on Friday revealed that it had killed a "senior al-Qaeda leader" in Syria using a targeted drone strike. 

An airstrike in northeastern Syria "killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar," U.S. Central Command said in a press release.

"We have no indications of civilian casualties as a result of the strike, which was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft," CENTCOM added. 

The release argued that al-Qaeda "uses Syria as a safe haven to rebuild, coordinate with external affiliates, and plan external operations."