US forces killed 11 members of al-Qaeda in two air strikes near Idlib in Syria, this month, including a former ally of Osama Bin Laden, the Pentagon said.
Captain Jeff Davis, a spokesman, said 10 operatives were killed in a single strike on 3 February.
A second strike on 4 February killed Abu Hani al-Masri, who had close ties to the late al-Qaeda leader, he said.
Al-Masri is said to have set up and run al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan during the 1980s and 1990s.
He also had close ties to Ayman al-Zawahiri, who became the leader of al-Qaeda when Bin Laden was killed by US forces in 2011.
“These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda’s ability to plot and direct external attacks targeting the US and our interests worldwide,” said Capt Davis.
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SOURCE: BBC News
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