Al-Qaeda’s top leader among at least 80 killed in Afghan-US operations

Afghanistan's Khaama Press quoted quoted the National Directorate of Security (NDS) as saying that  the militants were killed during the operations conducted in Ghazni, Zabul, and Paktia provinces.

According to NDS, the senior Al-Qaeda leader killed during the operation has been identified as Omar Khetab who was also famous was Omar Mansoor.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the Al-Qaeda affiliates have not commented regarding the report so far.

This comes as the US Department of Defense in a statement said late in March this year that a U.S. counter-terrorism airstrike conducted March 19 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, resulted in the death of Qari Yasin, a well-known al Qaida terrorist leader responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent victims, including two American service members.

The statement further added that Yasin, a senior terrorist figure from Balochistan, Pakistan, had ties to Tehrik-e Taliban and had plotted multiple al Qaida terror attacks, including the Sept. 20, 2008, bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed dozens of innocent people, among them U.S. Air Force Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez and Navy Cryptologic Technician Third Class Petty Officer Matthew J. O’Bryant.

According to the Defense Department, Yasin was also responsible for the 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed and six members of the team injured.