Osama bin Laden's top adviser Mohammed Atef is reported to have been killed by a US airstrike.
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This undated, uncredited photo of Mohammad Atef, appears on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list on their website.
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A US official said the air strike took place near Kabul, adding that there was credible evidence to suggest that Atef had been killed.
According to officials, Atef, an Egyptian, was believed to have been involved in the planning of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon.
He had also been indicted for involvement in the US embassy bombings in Africa in 1998.
A US official said: "This guy was bin Laden's military specialist since the early 1990s, widely thought to be bin Laden's successor in the event of his death."
Earlier this year, Atef's daughter married bin Laden's son, demonstrating the closeness of the Egyptian to bin Laden.
The death of bin Laden's heir apparent would be a serious blow to the al-Qaida terrorist network, whose members are being pursued in Afghanistan by US special forces and Afghan rebels.
The focus of the US campaign in Afghanistan has shifted more towards tracking down bin Laden and al-Qaida leaders, thought to be hiding in southern Afghanistan where the Taliban still retains some control.
Pentagon officials said some senior Taliban and al-Qaida leaders have been killed in recent days but have offered no names. The State Department is offering $5 million (£3.5 million) for information leading to the capture or conviction of Atef.
"We are tightening the noose," said Army General Tommy Franks, commander of the US forces in the region, said.
PA