US AIRSTRIKE KILLS SENIOR AL QAIDA OPERATIVE IN SYRIA -

 A  US airstrike in Syria has killed Muhsin al-Fadhli, a major and   key figure in a dangerous al Qaida offshoot called the Khorasan Group.

He was report killed  while travelling in a vehicle near Sarmada, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.

He did not further elaborate on the nature of the air strike, such as whether al-Fadhli was killed by a drone or a piloted aircraft.

Al-Fadhli was a leader of the Khorasan Group, a cadre of al Qaida operatives who were sent from Pakistan to Syria to plot attacks on the West. Officials say the Khorasan Group is embedded in the al Nusra front, Syria's al Qaida affiliate.

Previously based in Iran, al-Fadhli was the subject of a 7 million dollar (£4.5 million) reward by the US State Department for information leading to his capture him  or kill him. He had been falsely reported  been killed last autumn or maybe a rumour.