UPDATE Force confirms Al Qaeda senior commander killed

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

09.29.2010

Courtesy Story

ISAF Joint Command

KABUL, Afghanistan – The International Security Assistance Force confirmed a precision air strike in Kunar province Saturday killed Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi, an Al Qaeda senior commander who coordinated the attacks of a group of Arab fighters in Kunar and Nuristan provinces.

The Al Qaeda facilitators and extremists he worked with throughout the Middle East directly threaten the safety and security of Afghan civilians. He routinely facilitated the travel of foreign fighters, including Arabs, into the region.

Additionally, Abu Atta al Kuwaiti, an Al Qaeda explosives expert, and several Arabic foreign fighters were killed in the strike. ISAF is working to confirm the exact identities of other high-level insurgent commanders, who were meeting when the strike was conducted.

“The death of Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi is a significant victory for the people of Afghanistan,” said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. “We deliberately targeted a major threat to Afghanistan, which will significantly degrade the Al Qaeda activities throughout the region. We will relentlessly target the remaining foreign fighters, Al Qaeda, and senior Taliban leadership still operating in Afghanistan and those who harbor them.”

Based on intelligence sources, coalition forces tracked Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi to a remote compound in the Korengal Valley. After verifying his location and careful planning to help reduce the collateral damage, coalition forces conducted a precision air strike on the targeted compound, which was subsequently destroyed. The security force was able to confirm the death of the Abdallah Umar al-Qurayshi Tuesday.

• Date Taken: 09.29.2010
• Date Posted: 09.29.2010 04:11
• Story ID: 57157
• Location: KABUL, AF