A high-ranking al Qaeda operational commander in charge of suicide and explosives was killed in an airstrike earlier this month, the Pentagon confirmed Friday.
Abu Khalil al-Sudani was killed by a U.S. strike in Bermal district, Paktika province, Afghanistan on July 11, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.
“Al-Sudani was one of three known violent extremists killed in the strike. The death of al-Sudani will further degrade al Qaeda operations across the globe,” Mr. Cook said.
Al-Sudani was the head of al Qaeda’s suicide and explosive operations and was directly linked to plotting attacks against the U.S., as well as against coalition, Afghan and Pakistani forces.
This is the second al Qaeda operative killed by an airstrike that the Pentagon has announced this week. On Tuesday, Capt. Jeff Davis, Pentagon spokesman, said Muhsin al-Fadhli, a veteran al Qaeda operative and leader of the Khorasan Group, was killed in a July 8 strike in Syria.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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