Al-Qaeda leader to Russia's North Caucasus killed

2011-05-04 23:49:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW (BNO NEWS) -- Russia's national counter-terrorism committee on Wednesday announced that al-Qaeda emissary to the North Caucasus and leader of militants in the region was killed, RIA Novosti reported.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) conducted an operation in the volatile Chechnya resulting in the killing of Abdullah Kurd, the chief coordinator of international terrorists in the region.

Abdullah Kurd was a member of the Arab groups of al Qaeda under the command of Khattab, Abu al Walid and Abu Havs whose criminal activity were previously suppressed by FSB.

Kurd and Doku Umarov, another prominent Chechen rebel leader, planned and organized most of the terrorist attacks involving suicide bombers in Russia. Kurd was also in charge of providing financial support for the militants.

According to the counter-terrorism committee, Kurd arrived to the Russia's Northern Caucasus in 1991 through the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia. On April 22, Russia's security forces also killed a militant who was the top representative of al-Qaeda in the region.

Three militants, including a Saudi national known as Mohanad, were killed in a shootout in Shali district, Chechnya. The committee said that Mohanad was a religious authority and a powerful field commander.

Umarov claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 37 people and injured approximately 200 more at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Russian security forces and militants have been fighting for years, as the latter a re looking to establish an independent state in the North Caucasus region.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-04

I wonder if this is connected to any intel gathered in Abbottobad?

It seems a little quick to come from any information gathered from the Bin Laden killing, but they may have been able to confirm to the Russians what they already suspected.

It seems a little quick to come from any information gathered from the Bin Laden killing, but they may have been able to confirm to the Russians what they already suspected.

I was also thinking that 4 days would be too quick. Maybe after nearly ten years we have more and better Arabic translators and it was obvious? Either way, it's good news.

I wonder if this is connected to any intel gathered in Abbottobad?

A top Saudi Al Q member gave himself up today also.... I was wondering the same thing

I guess the Russian tinfoil hat brigade will be convinced the bloke was killed years ago and de-frosted in order to steal the Americans thunder.

It seems to be "Kill an al Qaeda Day"...

ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Two mid-level al Qaeda leaders were killed in Yemen, Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland, on Thursday, the defense ministry said.

The Yemeni defense ministry identified the men as two brothers, Musa'id and Abdullah Mubarak, and said they were killed at around dawn in the remote province of Shabwa, where a Yemen-based wing of al Qaeda is active.

It was not yet clear who carried out the attack and why they were targeted at this time.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/two-mid-level-al-qaeda-leaders-killed-yemen-075306690.html

It's been a bad week for Al Qaida.

The following article supports post number 5 by member danmarnj above.

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Saudi police: al-Qaida member surrenders

– Wed May 4, 10:24 am ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia says an al-Qaida member on the kingdom's most wanted list called from abroad and turned himself in.

Interior Ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said in a statement Wednesday that Khaled Hathal Abdullah al-Atifi al-Qahtani contacted the security authorities from an undisclosed country and expressed his wish to come home.

Al-Turki did not say when al-Qahtani was brought back to the kingdom, but many from the group fled to Yemen after a crackdown.

Al-Qahtani was reunited with his family and his surrender will be taken into consideration while looking into his case, Al-Turki said.

Al-Qahtani is apparently the first al-Qaida operative to surrender after its leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110504/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_saudi_al_qaida

I do no doubt for a minute that the intelligence and public safety departments are acting in a co-ordinated manner. The takedowns have probably been in the works for a long time and the personnel were just waiting for an opportunity for the dominos to start falling.