The family of a retired bricklayer living in northwest Syria has claimed he was killed in a May 3 airstrike, calling into doubt a U.S. military report claiming they had killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader.
On May 3, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) published a statement claiming its forces “conducted a unilateral strike in Northwest Syria targeting a senior Al-Qaeda leader.” The CENTCOM statement did not identify the suspected Al-Qaeda leader, but the military command said, “We will provide more information as operational details become available.” No additional details followed.
