U.S. Central Command: Targeting Senior Al-Qaeda Leader in Syria

The U.S. Central Command announced today, Wednesday, that the United States targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader in an airstrike in northwestern Syria. The command stated in a statement that "at 11:42 AM local time on May 3rd, U.S. Central Command forces conducted a unilateral strike in northwestern Syria aimed at a senior al-Qaeda leader." No name was provided for the leader, nor was it confirmed whether he was killed. The Central Command emphasized that it would provide more information "when details of the operation are available." Residents in the area told Reuters that they heard three explosions that sounded like airstrikes. This strike comes just days after Turkey announced that its forces killed the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.