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NATO confirms al-Qaida chief killed
Source: Agencies |
September 30, 2010, Thursday
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NATO has confirmed that a senior al-Qaida commander who led attacks along the Pakistan border and several other militants were killed in an air strike over the weekend in eastern Afghanistan.
NATO said the strike killed Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi, a senior al-Qaida commander who coordinated the attacks of a group of Arab fighters in eastern Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.
It said Abu Atta al Kuwaiti, an al-Qaida explosives expert, and several Arab foreign fighters were also killed in the strike, which was carried out on Saturday.
Pakistan is investigating reports a CIA missile strike killed another senior al-Qaida commander as he traveled in a tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said. Sheikh Fateh al-Masri's death would be the covert United States missile program's latest blow to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
Al-Masri is believed to have replaced Mustafa al-Yazid, who was killed in a missile strike in May and was described by the group as its No. 3 commander.
The United States is believed to have launched 21 missiles into northwestern Pakistan this month, more than double the number fired in any previous month. Some were intended to disrupt suspected terrorist plots aimed at Europe, a Western counterterrorism official said.
But, concerned by manned aircraft strikes, security officials said Pakistan has told NATO leaders it will stop protecting US and NATO supply lines to Afghanistan if foreign aircraft stage further cross-border attacks against fleeing militants.
The threat was seen as mostly aimed at tamping down criticism inside Pakistan, where anti-American sentiment runs high and where conspiracy theories that the US Army is poised to invade the nation from bases in Afghanistan are rampant.
But it was also a sign of Pakistani unease at the attacks on Saturday and Monday by NATO aircraft against militants in its northwest tribal areas that killed more than 70 militants, and a reminder of the leverage the country has in its complicated alliance with Washington.
NATO also announced that a coalition service member was killed in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. The coalition is currently conducting operation "Dragon Strike" to flush out militants in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
The service member was killed in a fight with insurgents in the south on Tuesday, the coalition said without giving further details.
NATO generally does not announce the nationalities of troops killed until after next of kin have been contacted by the service member's country.
It would not say whether the death was part of the ongoing operation.
"There is tough fighting, but this is to be expected in any situation where you are pushing insurgents out of their strongholds," NATO said in a written response.
NATO said the strike killed Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi, a senior al-Qaida commander who coordinated the attacks of a group of Arab fighters in eastern Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.
It said Abu Atta al Kuwaiti, an al-Qaida explosives expert, and several Arab foreign fighters were also killed in the strike, which was carried out on Saturday.
Pakistan is investigating reports a CIA missile strike killed another senior al-Qaida commander as he traveled in a tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said. Sheikh Fateh al-Masri's death would be the covert United States missile program's latest blow to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
Al-Masri is believed to have replaced Mustafa al-Yazid, who was killed in a missile strike in May and was described by the group as its No. 3 commander.
The United States is believed to have launched 21 missiles into northwestern Pakistan this month, more than double the number fired in any previous month. Some were intended to disrupt suspected terrorist plots aimed at Europe, a Western counterterrorism official said.
But, concerned by manned aircraft strikes, security officials said Pakistan has told NATO leaders it will stop protecting US and NATO supply lines to Afghanistan if foreign aircraft stage further cross-border attacks against fleeing militants.
The threat was seen as mostly aimed at tamping down criticism inside Pakistan, where anti-American sentiment runs high and where conspiracy theories that the US Army is poised to invade the nation from bases in Afghanistan are rampant.
But it was also a sign of Pakistani unease at the attacks on Saturday and Monday by NATO aircraft against militants in its northwest tribal areas that killed more than 70 militants, and a reminder of the leverage the country has in its complicated alliance with Washington.
NATO also announced that a coalition service member was killed in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. The coalition is currently conducting operation "Dragon Strike" to flush out militants in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
The service member was killed in a fight with insurgents in the south on Tuesday, the coalition said without giving further details.
NATO generally does not announce the nationalities of troops killed until after next of kin have been contacted by the service member's country.
It would not say whether the death was part of the ongoing operation.
"There is tough fighting, but this is to be expected in any situation where you are pushing insurgents out of their strongholds," NATO said in a written response.
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