An al-Qaida operative has been killed in an air strike in Afghanistan, NATO forces said Monday.
The military coalition had said previously that it killed two insurgents with Sunday's strike on a pickup truck fleeing the site of a gunfight with police in northern Kunduz province.
NATO identified one of the dead Monday as Abu Baqir, a Taliban sub-commander and al-Qaida group leader. There were reports that he was housing four potential suicide bombers for upcoming attacks on the city of Kunduz, NATO said in a statement.
U.S. officials have said that there are a small number of al-Qaida operatives in Afghanistan.
In October 2009, National security adviser James Jones said there were fewer than 100 fighters operating in the country and said they had no bases in Afghanistan or ability to launch attacks on the West.
Copyright 2010 AP News
