Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Strike against Al-Qaeda Leader
Oct. 3, 2016

U.S. forces conducted an airstrike today near Idlib, Syria, targeting Egyptian national Abu al-Farai al-Masri, aka Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, one of Al-Qaeda in Syria’s most senior leaders and a legacy Al-Qaeda terrorist who previously had ties to Osama bin Laden. We are still assessing the results of the strike.

His death, if confirmed, would disrupt and degrade coordination among senior AQ leaders and extremists. The United States military will continue to target Al-Qaeda leaders to disrupt their operations and counter the threat posed by this terrorist group.