NATO says it has killed Al-Qaida number two in Afghanistan. Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Mushtaq and Nasim, led foreign insurgents and directed attacks against Nato and Afghan forces, the alliance said. The air strike that killed Taifi and another Al-Qaida militant took place on Sunday in the Watahpur district of Kunar. A later assessment of the area determined that no civilians had been harmed, NATO said.

The coalition declined to reveal the name of Al-Qaida's top leader in Afghanistan "due to ongoing operations and security concerns". The killing of Al-Qaida second in command can be conceived a major blow to world's once-number-one terror network which is trying reground its presence inside Afghanistan amid drawdown plans of US-led international troops.

Although Al-Qaida's presence in Afghanistan nominal, it is believed that the Taliban and Haqqani network launch complex sorts of assaults in center and provinces with support from Al-Qaida fighters. Terror groups pose grave threats to post-2014 Afghanistan.

It took the US about a decade to target and kill Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida founder. After Osama was killed in Pakistan last year in May by US Special Forces, his network is believed to have grown weak and out of funds. Al-Qaida has grown powerless especially in Afghanistan.

However, as the US led NATO forces are set to withdraw in complete from Afghanistan by the end of 2014; fears exist that the insurgents groups including Al-Qaida will put efforts to enhance their influence and activities inside Afghanistan. Al-Qaida is weak but it does mean it cannot re-grow.

The terror groups, such as Al-Qaida, Taliban and Haqqani Network, can be deemed a major threat for the security of post-2014 Afghanistan. That is because in the absence of NATO forces, the Afghan government – if remains corrupt, weak and economically and politically dependent like today – will not be able to counter them. To make sure that Afghanistan will not turn into a safe haven for militants, the international community would need to back this country for a long time.