NICOSIA:A leading al-Qaeda operative in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, has been killed, an Islamist website said on Thursday.

As per the report Al-Ekhlaas, an al-Qaeda-affiliated forum, announced the death of Libi, who has appeared in the past in al-Qaeda videos.

It said, referring to media reports that he had been killed in a US air strike.

''As the banner was posted on Ekhlaas by a webmaster of the forum, it seems as if the announcement of his death has been confirmed to the forum administrators.''

In Afghanistan, NATO-led forces said they had no information on whether Libi was killed.

But according to security officials in Pakistan earlier on Thursday that a clutch of Al-Qaeda militants, including seven Arabs and six Central Asians, were killed this week when a suspected US missile hit their hideout in Pakistan.

The missile hit a house in the troubled tribal district of North Waziristan late Monday.

The local residents had reported that a pilotless drone aircraft of the type operated by US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan was seen flying over the area shortly before the strike, near the town of Mir Ali.