A top al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan has been killed, an Islamist militant Web site reported Thursday.
A banner on the Ekhlaas.org site, which has proved a reliable source for al-Qaida announcements in the past, said Abu Laith al-Libi, a leading Afghanistan-based commander for the terrorist group, had been killed, but gave no further details.
It was not immediately clear if Libi might have been killed in an alleged U.S. missile strike this week that reportedly killed up to 13 foreign militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan.
When asked about the report, a U.S. intelligence official said it would be good news if true — although he couldn't confirm it. He said Libi was involved in activities along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
