Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook Statement on Strike Against Al Qaida Leader

Mohammad Habib Boussadoun al-Tunisi, an al-Qaida external operations leader, was killed by a U.S. precision airstrike Jan. 17 near Idlib, Syria. He was involved in extremist facilitation and external operations and has been connected to terrorist plots to attack Western targets. Boussadoun, a Tunisian, arrived in Syria in 2014 after spending several years in countries across Europe and the Middle East, where he maintained ties with multiple extremists. Boussadoun's death will degrade al-Qaida's pool of experienced, well-connected facilitators and fighters with external operations experience.