A US drones strike has killed an IS group leader in Syria, officials claim.
It came after the three MQ-9 Reapers were harassed for two hours by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, Washington says.
GettyWashington claims a US drones strike killed an IS group leader in Syria[/caption]
The encounters happened when they were searching for the militant on Friday.
Shortly after, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said a US defence official.
It was not immediately clear how the US military confirmed the person killed was al-Muhajir.
US Central Command said in a statement yesterday there were no indications any civilians were killed in the strike.
Friday was the third day in a row that US officials complained Russian fighter jets in the region had made unsafe and harassing flights around drones.
A spokesman said the planes “flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations”.
