US Strike Killed over 100 al-Qaida Fighters in Syria
A US strike has killed more than 100 al-Qaida fighters at a training camp in northwestern Syria, the Pentagon said Friday.
The air strike occurred Thursday at a camp in Idlib province that had been operational since 2013, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.
"The removal of this training camp disrupts training operations and discourages hardline Islamist and Syrian opposition groups from joining or cooperating with al-Qaida on the battlefield," Davis said.
US plane and drone strikes have killed more than 150 Qaida fighters since January 1, Davis said, including Mohammad Habib Boussadoun al-Tunisi, an "external operations leader" in Syria.
"These strikes, conducted in quick succession, degrade al-Qaida's capabilities, weaken their resolve and cause confusion in their ranks," Davis said.
A US-led coalition is striking Islamic State group targets in Syria. But it has also hit Qaida leaders and operatives from other groups including the Qaida-linked Nusra Front, which has renamed itself Fatah al-Sham.