The Pentagon confirmed late Friday that an airstrike it conducted on March 19 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, resulted in the death of al Qaeda leader Qari Yasin.
In a statement, the Defense Department said Yasin, from Balochistan, Pakistan, was responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent victims, including two American service members.
He plotted multiple terror attacks, including the Sept. 20, 2008, bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad resulted in the deaths of Air Force Maj. Rodolfo Rodriguez and Navy Cryptologic Technician Third Class Petty Officer Matthew J. O’Bryant, the statement said. He also played a leading role in the 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
“The death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape justice,” said Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis in the statement.
