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Image posted, AFP
Afghan security authorities said their forces killed Abu Mohsen al-Masry, a prominent al-Qaeda leader.
Al-Masry was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List. It is believed that he was the second in command of the organization.
The National Directorate of Security in Afghanistan said Saturday night that its forces had killed Al-Masry in a special operation in the eastern Ghazni province of the country.
The leadership added that he was the supreme leader of the organization in the Indian subcontinent.
Al-Masri was charged in the United States with providing equipment and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, as well as plotting the murder of American citizens.
The Egyptian leader was also known as Hossam Abdel Raouf, according to the FBI.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that there are still fewer than 200 al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan.
This month marks 19 years since the US invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban government, which was home to al-Qaeda militants who carried out attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
The United States began gradually withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan after signing a landmark agreement with the Taliban in February.
The agreement provides for the departure of foreign forces to Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for guarantees from the Taliban related to the fight against terrorism.
The Taliban agreed to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with the Afghan government and share power in some way.
The intra-Afghan negotiations began in Doha last month. Despite the talks, clashes between Taliban militants and government forces have escalated in recent weeks.
The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said last week that the Taliban had agreed to reorganize their commitments under an agreement to withdraw troops and limit casualties in the country.
