KABUL: A senior Al-Qaeda leader, who was believed to be the second-in-command of the terrorist organisation, has been killed by security forces in Afghanistan.
Abu Muhsin al-Masri, an Egyptian national was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted list, was killed during a special operation in central Ghazni province, said Afghanistan’s intelligence service National Directorate of Security (NDS).
Al-Masri, who also goes by the name Husam Abd-al-Rauf, was charged in the United States for providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation, and conspiracy to kill US nationals. The US had issued a warrant for his arrest in December 2018.
The head of the US National Counter-Terrorism Center, Chris Miller, confirmed al-Masri’s death in a statement, saying his “removal from the battlefield is a major setback to a terrorist organisation that is consistently experiencing strategic losses facilitated by the United States and its partners”.
He said that Al Qaeda’s loss of al-Masri “highlights the diminishing effectiveness of the terrorist organisation”. Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said fewer than 200 Al-Qaeda operatives remain in Afghanistan.
The death of al-Masri was announced on the same day that 18 people were killed in a suicide bombing at an education centre in the Afghan capital Kabul. This month also marks 19 years since the US invaded Afghanistan to topple the Afghan Taliban who allegedly harboured Al-Qaeda fighters.
The US has been gradually drawing down its troops from Afghanistan after striking a landmark deal in February. Last week, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said the Taliban had agreed to “re-set” their commitments under a troop withdrawal deal and reduce the number of casualties in the country.
