A tweet from NDS Afghanistan saying that they have killed Abu Muhsin Al-Masri in operations, accompanied by three profile photos of Al-Masri, is seen on NDS Afghanistan's Twitter account October 24, 2020. NDS Afghanistan via Twitter/via Reuters
Kabul: Afghan forces said they had killed a top Al-Qaeda militant wanted by the United States, as the death toll from a blast in the capital rose to 24 on Sunday.
Abu Muhsin al-Masri, an Egyptian national believed to be the number-two for the Islamist militant group in the Indian sub-continent, was targeted in central Ghazni province, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security said in a statement.
It did not provide further details about the operation or when it was carried out.
A source at the intelligence agency, who did not want to be named, told AFP that an aide to al-Masri who was "in contact with the Taliban" was also detained.
Al-Masri, who also goes by the name Husam Abd-al-Ra'uf, is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.
A US warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2018, after he was charged with providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation and plotting to kill US nationals, according to the FBI.
Masri's killing comes as peace talks continue between the Taliban and the Afghan government in a bid to end the country's long-running war.
Efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan have been complicated, however, because of ongoing attacks by Islamic State militants.
In the latest IS-claimed attack, a suicide bomber struck near an education centre in a western district of Kabul on Saturday.
The death toll from the bombing climbed to 24 on Sunday, according to the interior ministry.
Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said another 57 people had been wounded.
