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U.S. Airstrike Kills Leader of Qaeda Cell in Syria
(New York Times) Eric Schmitt - Muhsin al-Fadhli, leader of the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaeda cell in Syria that American officials say has been plotting attacks against the U.S and Europe, was killed in a military drone strike on July 8, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. Khorasan is made up of about two dozen seasoned Qaeda operatives who were sent to Syria by Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's leader in Pakistan. According to intelligence assessments, Khorasan militants have been working with bomb makers from al-Qaeda's Yemen affiliate to test new ways to slip nonmetallic explosives past airport security. Officials fear that Khorasan militants could provide these sophisticated explosives to Western recruits who could sneak them onto U.S.-bound flights.