U.S. airstrike kills leader

A U.S. airstrike kills Abu Kahlil al-Sudani, a high-ranking commander in al Qaeda, in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika on the Pakistani border. Al-Sudani was the head of al Qaeda’s suicide and explosive operations and has been directly linked to plans for external attacks against the U.S. Defense Secretary Carter:

This operation underscores the work that . . . all of our forces in Afghanistan do each day to take the fight to al Qaeda. We will continue to counter violent extremism in the region and around the world.