<p>Afghan forces said they had killed a top Al-Qaeda militant wanted by the United States, as the death toll from a blast in the capital rose to 24 on Sunday.</p>.<p>Abu Muhsin al-Masri, an Egyptian national believed to be the number-two for the Islamist militant group in the Indian sub-continent, was targeted in central Ghazni province, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security said in a statement.</p>.<p>It did not provide further details about the operation or when it was carried out.</p>.<p>A source at the intelligence agency, who did not want to be named, told AFP that an aide to al-Masri who was "in contact with the Taliban" was also detained.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/roadside-bomb-killed-nine-in-eastern-afghanistan-says-official-906482.html" target="_blank">Roadside bomb killed nine in eastern Afghanistan, says official</a></strong></p>.<p>Al-Masri, who also goes by the name Husam Abd-al-Ra'uf, is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.</p>.<p>A US warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2018, after he was charged with providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation and plotting to kill US nationals, according to the FBI.</p>.<p>Masri's killing comes as peace talks continue in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government in a bid to end the country's long-running war.</p>.<p>The negotiations were organised after a deal between the United States and the Taliban in February, under which the militants agreed to not allow Afghan soil to be used by foreign extremists.</p>.<p>The Taliban government's sheltering of Al-Qaeda was the original reason for the US invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks.</p>.<p>Efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan have been complicated, however, because of ongoing attacks by Islamic State militants.</p>.<p>In the latest IS-claimed attack, a suicide bomber struck near an education centre in a western district of Kabul on Saturday.</p>.<p>The death toll from the bombing climbed to 24 on Sunday, according to the interior ministry.</p>.<p>Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said another 57 people had been wounded.</p>.<p>Residents in several districts of western Kabul belong to the minority Shiite Hazara community, and are often targeted by Sunni extremists of IS.</p>
<p>Afghan forces said they had killed a top Al-Qaeda militant wanted by the United States, as the death toll from a blast in the capital rose to 24 on Sunday.</p>.<p>Abu Muhsin al-Masri, an Egyptian national believed to be the number-two for the Islamist militant group in the Indian sub-continent, was targeted in central Ghazni province, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security said in a statement.</p>.<p>It did not provide further details about the operation or when it was carried out.</p>.<p>A source at the intelligence agency, who did not want to be named, told AFP that an aide to al-Masri who was "in contact with the Taliban" was also detained.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/roadside-bomb-killed-nine-in-eastern-afghanistan-says-official-906482.html" target="_blank">Roadside bomb killed nine in eastern Afghanistan, says official</a></strong></p>.<p>Al-Masri, who also goes by the name Husam Abd-al-Ra'uf, is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.</p>.<p>A US warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2018, after he was charged with providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation and plotting to kill US nationals, according to the FBI.</p>.<p>Masri's killing comes as peace talks continue in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government in a bid to end the country's long-running war.</p>.<p>The negotiations were organised after a deal between the United States and the Taliban in February, under which the militants agreed to not allow Afghan soil to be used by foreign extremists.</p>.<p>The Taliban government's sheltering of Al-Qaeda was the original reason for the US invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks.</p>.<p>Efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan have been complicated, however, because of ongoing attacks by Islamic State militants.</p>.<p>In the latest IS-claimed attack, a suicide bomber struck near an education centre in a western district of Kabul on Saturday.</p>.<p>The death toll from the bombing climbed to 24 on Sunday, according to the interior ministry.</p>.<p>Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said another 57 people had been wounded.</p>.<p>Residents in several districts of western Kabul belong to the minority Shiite Hazara community, and are often targeted by Sunni extremists of IS.</p>