A senior Al Qaeda commander and two other militants have been killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Friday.
Abu Khalil al-Sudani, head of Al Qaeda's suicides and explosives operations, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in southeastern Paktika on July 11, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.
"Al-Sudani was one of three known violent extremists killed in the strike," Cook said. He further stated that Al-Sudani, also a senior member of Shura council, was directly linked to plotting attacks against the U.S.
"The deceased al-Qaida leader also had directed operations against coalition, Afghan and Pakistani forces and maintained a close association with al-Qaida's top leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri," the statement read.
The NATO strike in volatile Paktika province was the latest in series of counter offensive in Afghanistan in recent weeks, Reuters reported.
U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the killing of Al-Sudani underscored the work done by General John Campbell, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to Pajhwok.
"We will continue to counter violent extremism in the region and around the world, including coalition efforts to deliver a lasting defeat to Isil," said Carter, who arrived in Baghdad on Thursday in an unannounced trip, according to Telegraph. It was Carter's first visit to Iraq since taking office in February.
