ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Asim Omar was killed a week ago during a military operation by Afghan and international forces in the Musa Qala district of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, an intelligence statement said on Tuesday.

The statement added that Omar is a Pakistani national, and took the leadership of the branch of al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent after the killing of the founder of the organization Osama bin Laden.

The National Directorate of Security in Afghanistan said Omar was a Pakistani national, while some reports said he was born in India.

Omar "was killed along with six other AQAP members, mostly Pakistanis," in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, she said on Twitter, adding that Omar was "associated" with the Taliban.

Among the six al-Qaeda members killed in the raid was a man named Rihan, whose mission was to communicate with al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, while US forces in Afghanistan declined to comment.

The raid was part of a military operation on the night of September 23, during which the United States secured air support.

Achievement and withdrawal
Authorities said they would investigate reports that 40 civilians, including children, were killed in an air strike during the operation.

A source in the Taliban announced in 2014 that Omar worked with the Punjabi Taliban - the faction of the Pakistani Taliban in the most crowded provinces - for a few years, before joining al Qaeda. Omar, a pseudonym, was appointed by Zawahiri in a video recording.

It is noteworthy that under the withdrawal plan delayed implementation between the United States and the Taliban, Washington agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan on condition that the movement's commitment to security guarantees and cut all links to jihadist organizations.

The United States and the Taliban began talks a year ago to reach an agreement that would allow a drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan and would pave the way for a decline in violence.

But US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of talks last month, citing violence by the Taliban.

Even if a deal is struck, observers question whether the Taliban will truly separate from al Qaeda.

The United States invaded Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil.