Pentagon says US airstrikes target al-Qaida in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON – The Defence Department says airstrikes in Afghanistan targeted two al-Qaida leaders, including one described by a Pentagon official as the group’s top leader in the northeastern part of the country.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook has issued a written statement saying U.S. officials are still working to determine whether the men targeted were killed.

He has identified the two as Faruq al-Qatani and Bilal al-Utabi. He says they were targeted in strikes conducted Sunday.

Cook says al-Qatani was a senior planner for attacks against the U.S. and has had a hand in deadly attacks on U.S. forces.