KABUL, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- An al-Qaida facilitator was killed in a recent Afghan and NATO-led coalition forces operation in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, the NATO-led coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed on Thursday.
"Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of an al- Qaida facilitator during a security operation in Marawarah district, Kunar province, Sunday. During the operation the security force observed al-Qaida facilitator Abdul Rauf, also known as Iftikhar, engaged in insurgent activity. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the security force engaged Abdul Rauf with a precision airstrike, killing him and two other insurgents," the ISAF said in a press release issued here.
"Abdul Rauf was a Pakistani al-Qaida facilitator who coordinated the movement of foreign fighters into the country, as well as constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for attacks against security forces," the release said, adding that a post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian structures were damaged in the attack in the province 185 km east of the Afghan capital Kabul.
The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging more than a decade long insurgency, launched an annual spring offensive starting from May 3 to target Afghan and some 100,000 U.S. and NATO troops stationed in the country.
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