The US military killed al-Qaida’s leader for northeastern Afghanistan in an air strike last month, in a major blow to the group as it seeks to re-establish safe havens in the country. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook described the assault that killed Farouq al-Qahtani as a “precision strike” and said it took place on October 23 in Kunar, east of the capital, Kabul. One US official said the attack represented the most significant strike against the al-Qaida 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. His deputy Utabi was seen as the second- or third-most senior al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan.

Source: The Guardian November 05, 2016 01:44 UTC