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Afghan Officials Say Leading Al-Qaeda Leader Killed In Operation


Afghan special forces taking part in a military exercise in southeastern Afghanistan.
Afghan special forces taking part in a military exercise in southeastern Afghanistan.

Afghan officials say they have killed dozens of Al-Qaeda officials during operations in eastern and southern Afghanistan, including senior leader Omar Khetab.

The National Directorate of Security said in a statement on December 5 that some 80 members of the extremist Islamic group had been killed and 27 others arrested in the joint operations with NATO-led coalition forces.

It did not give a date for when the operations were carried out.

The Afghan intelligence agency added that its forces also destroyed five Al-Qaeda bases in southern Zabul Province and the eastern Ghazni and Paktia provinces.

The statement said Khetab -- who was also known as Omar Mansoor -- was the second-most powerful leader of the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent group, which has vowed to establish an Islamic caliphate by overthrowing the governments in Pakistan, India, Burma, and Bangladesh.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

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