KABUL: Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency said on Tuesday a top regional leader of the Al-Qaeda had been killed in a joint raid led by United States and Afghan troops in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province last month.
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said Asim Omar, a leader of the network for the Indian subcontinent, was killed along with other members of Al-Qaeda in the Musa Qala district of Helmand, a main bastion of Taliban insurgents.
“NDS can now confirm the death of Asim Omar, leader of Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS), in a joint US-Afghan led operation,” the spy agency said in a statement.
It described Omar as a Pakistani national, and said six others had been killed in the same operation, including Raihan, Omar’s courier to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda.
In September 2014, Al-Zawahiri announced the creation of AQIS in a video message and said Asim Umar would be its top commander.
The US attacked Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in which Al-Qaeda hijackers slammed airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, killing almost 3,000 people. The US-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power for harboring Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and drove Al-Qaeda’s leaders, including Osama bin Laden, to Pakistan.
Al Qaeda has been decimated over the years. But US officials estimate there are still small numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, some with deep ties to the Taliban insurgency. More are across the border in Pakistan.
Many US officials doubt the Taliban could be relied upon to prevent Al-Qaeda from again plotting attacks against the United States from Afghan soil. That was one of the main US demands during peace negotiations with the Taliban that US President Trump declared “dead” last month.
Afghan spy agency says top Al-Qaeda leader killed in joint US raid
Afghan spy agency says top Al-Qaeda leader killed in joint US raid
- Asim Omar led Al-Qaeda’s network in the Indian subcontinent
- Spy agency described Omar as a Pakistani national, said six others killed in same operation
Bangladesh flag carrier to launch Dhaka–Karachi flights this month after over 13 years
- Inaugural flight scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Karachi on Jan, 29, says Biman Bangladesh Airlines spokesperson
- Airline will operate two weekly flights from the Bangladeshi capital to Pakistan’s commercial hub on Thursdays and Saturdays
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced it will launch direct passenger flights between the cities of Dhaka and Karachi after over 13 years later this month, the airline said on Thursday, as both nations improve historically bitter ties.
Biman will operate two weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city by population and its commercial hub, on Thursdays and Saturdays, the airline’s spokesperson Boshra Islam told Arab News.
“Biman is launching its Karachi operations on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m. Pakistan time.
Pakistan has granted Biman initial permission to operate the route for three months until Mar. 26, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. The approval would be extended later, the official said.
The restoration of the airline’s flights to Pakistan marks a significant step in restoring direct air connectivity between the two South Asian nations.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until 1971, when the latter split from the former after a bloody civil war and became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Ties between both have improved significantly since 2024, after the fall of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s government due to a student-led uprising. Hasina was widely viewed in Pakistan as being close to India and openly critical of Islamabad.
The resumption of passenger flights comes as aviation and trade links between the two countries begin to recover after decades of limited engagement.
In November last year, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it had signed a cargo agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines aimed at streamlining air freight operations and boosting bilateral trade.
A PIA spokesperson said the airlines had entered into a Cargo Interline Special Agreement as part of PIA’s strategy to expand its cargo business and offer more competitive services to customers.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh as ties between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.
In February last year, a cargo vessel sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades and successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said.
The two countries signed six agreements in August 2025 covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders, trade cooperation, media collaboration and cultural exchanges, officials said.
