Pentagon is Investigating Reports of the Death of Al-Qaeda's Second-in-Command in Airstrike

U.S. defense officials say the Pentagon is examining reports regarding the death of the second-in-command of Al-Qaeda during a U.S. airstrike in Idlib, Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the security monitoring group 'SITE' report that Abu Khayr al-Masri was likely killed in an airstrike on the vehicle carrying him on February 26. Al-Masri, the son-in-law of the slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is generally considered to be the second-in-command of the organization after current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Qaeda affiliates are recognized as a terrorist group by the United Nations, and the ceasefire in the Syrian civil war does not include them. Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated, 'Certainly, if the news of al-Masri's death is accurate, it is good news.' Abu Khayr al-Masri, born in Egypt, is 59 years old and is referred to as one of the long-standing commanders of Al-Qaeda. He was the owner of a guesthouse in Kabul during the time when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was discussing the September 11 attacks with bin Laden. The relationship between al-Masri and al-Zawahiri dates back to before the founding of Al-Qaeda. He, whose other name is Abdullah Muhammad Rajab Abdul Rahman, joined Ayman al-Zawahiri in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the 1980s. Analysts now say his presence in Idlib, in the northwest of the country embroiled in civil war, indicates the 'strategic importance' that Syria has gained for Al-Qaeda. The Pentagon recently reported the death of another Al-Qaeda leader named Abu Hani al-Masri, who was also a member of the Islamic Jihad. Abu Hani al-Masri was also targeted in Idlib, Syria.