The Afghan government Tuesday welcomed news that a top Al-Qaeda leader had been killed but said it doubted the development would make much difference to the fight against terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Al-Qaeda said Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, its number three leader and chief of operations in Afghanistan, had been killed along with a number of family members, according to US monitors, but did not give any other details.
Waheed Omar, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said the death of any "terrorist involved in terrorism activities in either Afghanistan or Pakistan, or on the borders, is a development (that) advances the cause".
But he added: "We are not sure of any significant impact of the killing of one of the members of Al-Qeada.
"We need to do a lot more before talking about it making a difference. Difference is a very strong word," he told reporters.
A US official said it was believed Yazid, also known as Sheikh Said al-Masri, had been killed in Pakistan, with some US media reports suggesting it was a drone strike.
