WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. aircraft on Monday targeted one of the “most senior leaders” of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in Idlib, Syria, according to the Pentagon.
Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said the operative was an al-Qaeda leader named Abu al-Farai al-Masri, aka Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, an Egyptian national.
Cooked described him as “a legacy al-Qaeda terrorist who previously had ties to Osama bin Laden.
“We are still assessing the results of the strike,” he added.
Mabruk was a member of the Shura Council of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known al-Nusrah Front.
The group recently detached itself from al-Qaeda.
Twitter accounts linked to the group confirmed Mabruk’s death, saying he was targeted by a drone strike.