Al-Masri is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list. (Representative)
Kabul:
Afghan special forces killed a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader who was also wanted by the United States, Afghan intelligence announced on Saturday evening.
Abu Muhsin al-Masri, an Egyptian national believed to be the number two in the Islamist terrorist group in the Indian subcontinent, has been targeted in central Ghazni province, the Afghan National Security Directorate said in a tweet.
He did not provide further details on the operation or when it was carried out.
Al-Masri, also known as Husam Abd-al-Ra’uf, is on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists.
A US arrest warrant for him was issued in December 2018, after he was accused of providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization and of plotting to kill US nationals, according to the FBI.
Al-Masri’s murder comes as peace talks continue in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government in a bid to end the longstanding war.
The negotiations were organized after an agreement between the United States and the Taliban in February, under which the terrorists agreed not to allow the use of Afghan soil by foreign extremists.
The Taliban government’s sheltering from Al-Qaeda was at the origin of the American invasion of Afghanistan after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
