WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In April, Maj. Gen. Jeff Buchanan, the deputy chief of staff for Operation Resolute Support, admitted that previous US estimates on al-Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan were too low.
According to Buchanan and other Operation Resolute Support officials, the al-Qaeda terror group has formed ties with the Taliban militants since 2010.
"On October 23rd, US forces conducted precision strikes in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, targeting Faruq al-Qatani and Bilal al-Utabi, two of al-Qaeda's most senior leaders in Afghanistan," the statement said on Wednesday. "We are still assessing the results of the strikes."
Earlier on Wednesday, US media reported that al-Qatani, whose real name is Nayef Salam Muhammad Ujaym al-Hababi, and al-Utabi were killed in a US drone strike on Sunday.
Cook said both men were tasked with reestablishing al-Qaeda’s sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
US forces targeted al-Hababi and al-Utabi in a remote part of Kunar province after a long period of surveillance, he said.
Al-Hababi served as al-Qaeda’s emir in eastern Afghanistan and planned attacks against the west as well as against international forces operating in the country, according to the US Treasury Department and the United Nations.
