U.S. Drone Strike In Pakistan Kills Deputy Al-Qaeda Leader

[News_Editor]

U.S. drone strike in Pakistan kills deputy al-Qaeda leader < br />

2012-06-06 01:09:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Al-Qaeda deputy leader Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed on early Monday morning when a U.S. drone targeted a compound and nearby vehicle in Pakistan's volatile tribal region, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The group has not yet confirmed the death.

The death of al-Libi is the most serious blow to al-Qaeda since U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden during a secret military operation in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad in May 2011. Experts believe the loss of the senior al-Qaeda figure, who was one of the group's most visible figures, will be felt throughout the jihadi community.

The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said al-Libi was killed when an unmanned U.S. drone fired at least two missiles at a compound and a nearby pickup truck in the village of Hesokhel, located in the Mir Ali district just east of Miranshah which is the main town in Pakistan's North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistani intelligence officials, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, previously said as many as fifteen suspected militants were killed in the U.S. drone strike on Monday. U.S. drone strikes also killed at least four suspected militants on Saturday and ten more on Sunday, although those figures could not be independently confirmed.

The death of al-Libi was not immediately confirmed by al-Qaeda, but experts believe the militant organization will likely release a written statement in the coming days to confirm the news. The Libyan-born Islamic scholar was captured by authorities in 2002 and imprisoned at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, where he escaped from in July 2005.

After the escape, al-Libi appeared in numerous propaganda videos, using his religious training to influence people and legitimize the actions of al-Qaeda. He since became a key motivator in the global jihadi movement and intelligence officials believe he became al-Qaeda's deputy leader following the death of Bin Laden, who was replaced by Ayman al-Zawahiri.

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