Bin Laden aide among 2 killed by Hellfire missiles

US drone strikes targeted two top Al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, American officials said, calling it the most significant attack against the militant group in the country in several years.

The strikes on Sunday in Kunar province targeted Farouq al-Qahtani, Al Qaeda’s emir for northeastern Afghanistan, and his deputy Bilal al-Utabi.

Multiple Hellfire missiles “levelled” two different compounds in Kunar where the men were believed to be hiding, the military said, voicing confidence that they were killed.

“We are still assessing the results of the strikes, but their demise would represent a significant blow to the terrorist group’s presence in Afghanistan, which remains committed to facilitating attacks against the United States, our allies, and partners,” said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.

Another US official said the attack represented the “most significant strike” against the Al Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan in years.

The Pentagon has been actively hunting for Qahtani for four years. He had longstanding ties with Osama Bin Laden before his death in the 2011.

Qahtani has operated in Afghanistan since at least 2009 and led a Qaeda battalion since at least mid-2010, officials said.

“He was seeking to re-establish (Al Qaeda’s) control in Afghanistan,” the US official said.

“He was charged with the requirement to establish AQ safe-havens throughout Kunar and Nuristan provinces.”