Al-Qaida says 4 leaders killed in Afghanistan

CAIRO: Al-Qaida has posted a statement on the Internet saying four of its Afghanistan commanders have been killed, including an explosives expert wanted by the US.

Washington posted a $5 million reward for Abu Khabab al-Masri. He is accused of training terrorists to use poisons and explosives. He is also believed to have trained suicide bombers who killed 17 American sailors on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.

Sunday's statement says al-Masri ``left behind other experts who were trained by him.'' It did not give details of how he and three other men died.

The statement is dated July 30 signed by al-Qaida's top Afghan leader, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed. It appears on a militant Web site frequently used by the terror group.