Al-Qaida key commander killed in E. Afghanistan
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The NATO-led forces in Afghanistan on Wednesday confirmed the killing of a key al-Qaida commander in the war-torn country's eastern Kunar province.
"The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed a precision air strike in Kunar province Saturday which killed Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi, an al-Qaida senior commander who coordinated the attacks of a group of Arab fighters in Kunar and Nuristan provinces," a statement released by the alliance said here.
The commander, according to the statement, routinely facilitated the travel of foreign fighters, including Arabs, into the region.
Other al-Qaida senior commanders have also been killed in the air strike, the statement said, adding that "ISAF is working to confirm the exact identities of other high-level insurgent commanders, who were meeting when the strike was conducted."
"The death of Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi is a significant victory for the people of Afghanistan," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director, in the statement.
Taliban militants and associated insurgents challenging Afghan and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan have yet to make comment.
