"The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that a U.S. counter-terrorism airstrike conducted March 19 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, resulted in the death of Qari Yasin, a well-known al Qaida terrorist leader responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent victims, including two American service members," the statement released by the Department reads.
According to the Pentagon, among other attacks that Yasin was responsible for was the bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on September 20, 2008, which left dozens of people killed, among them two US officers.
"The death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape justice," US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said, as cited in the statement.
A total of 8,400 US troops is currently deployed in Afghanistan, conducting counterterrorism operations and advising, assisting and training local forces to fight the Taliban.
