Al-Qaida leadershipKABUL--Two top al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan were killed in a U.S. drone attack, the nation's spy agency confirmed Thursday, in a major blow to the group as it seeks to re-establish safe havens in the country. "Eliminating these core leaders of al-Qaida will disrupt efforts to plot against the United States and our allies, reduce the threat to our Afghan partners, and assist their efforts to deny al-Qaida safe haven in Afghanistan," Cook said. Another U.S. official said the attack represented the "most significant strike" against the al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan in years. Qahtani has operated in Afghanistan since at least 2009 and led an al-Qaida battalion since at least mid-2010, officials said. His deputy Utabi, was seen as the second- or third-most senior al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan, the official said.

Source: The China Post October 27, 2016 16:11 UTC