NATO announced Tuesday the death of the second-highest al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan. The coalition said a precision airstrike in Kunar province over the weekend left Sakhr al-Taifi, also known by the names Musthaq and Nasim, dead. A second unnamed militant was also killed.
The airstrike happened in the Watahpur district of Kunar. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said no civilians were injured or killed. No other details on the attack were released.
"Sakhr al-Taifi was responsible for commanding foreign insurgents and directing attacks against coalition and Afghan forces. He frequently travelled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al-Qaeda leadership. He also supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents in the east and managed transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
"This operation is another example of our ongoing efforts to degrade and weaken al-Qaeda's leadership and a reminder of the mission we are pursuing to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for al-Qaeda and or its militant allies," Little added. "Despite the unprecedented pressure we have applied, al-Qaeda remains a threat to our forces and to our homeland, and we will continue to -- continue to pursue our goal of dismantling and ultimately defeating them.”
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