A U.S. drone strike in Syria killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader who once had ties to Osama bin Laden, the Pentagon said on November 2.
The October 17 strike near Idlib killed Haydar Kirkan, who "was intent on plotting and carrying out attacks against the West," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.
"He was a long-serving and experienced courier for Al-Qaeda in Syria...and he was Al-Qaeda's senior external terror attack planner in Syria," Davis said.
In recent weeks, the Pentagon has reported success in targeting other Al-Qaeda leaders, including two top commanders in Afghanistan and five Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula members, including a local leader in Yemen.
"Al-Qaeda doesn't recognize borders when they conspire to commit terrorist attacks against the West, and we will continue to work with our partners and allies to find and destroy their leaders, their fighters, and their cells that are planning attacks externally," Davis said.