Pakistan – Al-Qaida No. 2 Leader Killed, As Drone Strikes Escalate

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    (AP Photo/IntelCenter, File)Pakistan – A U.S. official says a drone strike in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region has killed al-Qaida’s second-in-command.

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    The death of Abu Yahya al-Libi is a significant blow to the terror network, which has lost a string of top leaders at the hands of the American drone program.

    The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, says that no one left in al-Qaida comes close to replacing the expertise al-Qaida has just lost.

    Al-Libi would be the latest in the dozen-plus senior commanders removed in the clandestine U.S. war against al-Qaida since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden just over a year ago. Al-Libi, a hero in militant circles for his 2005 escape from an American military prison in Afghanistan, was elevated to al-Qaida’s No. 2 spot when Ayman al-Zawahri rose to replace the slain bin Laden.

    Pakistan has evidence that al-Qaida’s second in command was in a house hit by a U.S. drone strike in the country’s northwest tribal region, but it is unclear whether he was killed, intelligence officials said Tuesday.

    U.S. officials have said they were targeting Abu Yahya al-Libi in Monday’s strike in Khassu Khel village in the North Waziristan tribal area and were “optimistic” he was among those killed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the classified nature of the drone program.

    Militants and residents in the area told Pakistani agents that al-Libi was in the house when it was hit, said intelligence officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

    A vehicle used by al-Libi was destroyed during the strike, said one of the officials. Agents intercepted a militant phone call indicating an Arab was killed in the attack, but it is unclear if they were talking about al-Libi, who was born in Libya, said the official.

    A local Taliban chief said al-Libi’s guard and driver were killed in the strike, but the al-Qaida commander was not there. Al-Libi did survive a previous strike, said the Taliban chief, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by the Pakistani army.

    If al-Libi is confirmed killed, he would be the latest in the dozen-plus senior commanders removed in the clandestine U.S. war against al-Qaida since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden last year.

    The White House maintains a list of terrorist targets to be killed or captured, compiled by the military and the CIA and ultimately approved by the president.

    The U.S. has stepped up drone strikes in Pakistan recently, carrying out seven in less than two weeks. The flurry follows a relative lull driven by tensions between Washington and Islamabad over American airstrikes last year that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

    Pakistan seized the opportunity to renegotiate its relationship with the U.S. and demanded Washington stop drone strikes in the country – a demand the U.S. has ignored. The attacks are unpopular in Pakistan because many people believe they mostly kill civilians, an allegation disputed by the U.S.

    Members of the Pakistani government and military have supported the strikes in the past, but that cooperation has come under strain as the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated.

    The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program had set a $1 million reward for information leading to al-Libi, who had filmed numerous propaganda videos urging attacks on U.S. targets after he escaped a prison at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in 2005.

    Al-Libi took the second-in-command spot when Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri took charge of al-Qaida after bin Laden’s death. As al-Qaida’s de facto general manager, al-Libi is responsible for running the group’s day-to-day operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas and manages outreach to al-Qaida’s regional affiliates.

    “This is one of the more prominent names” among the targets of drone strikes in Pakistan, added former CIA officer Paul Pillar.

    He said al-Libi’s death would help bolster the CIA’s push to continue the drone program despite the continued political resistance from Pakistan and collateral damage.

    Al-Libi’s death would be “another reason not to accept Pakistan’s demand for an end to drone wars,” added Brookings Institute’s Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer and adviser to the White House on Afghanistan and Pakistan policy.


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    11 Comments
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    SherryTheNoahide
    SherryTheNoahide
    11 years ago

    Sweet! More good news! 🙂

    And now… I’m just waiting for the comments on here to give credit to THIS administration, for the kick-butt way they have effectively handled the most wanted criminals in our history, w\OUT putting boots on the ground all over the globe, or killing mass-amounts of civilians in the process.

    Anyone? Anyone willing to acknowledge this administration’s achievements in foreign policy?

    Or will there just be more complaints about how Obama’s a secret Muslim, out to HELP more of his “buddies” like this al-Libi guy above, and who really wants to destroy Israel? (LOL)

    marcia
    marcia
    11 years ago

    al-Libi has not been confirmed to have been killed yet…targeted, yes, dead, no!

    Liepa
    Liepa
    11 years ago

    Kain yovaidu kol oivachu…………..

    5TResident
    Noble Member
    5TResident
    11 years ago

    It seems like there is a news item like this at least twice per month. Why is it always the Al-Qaida number 2 man who is getting hit? And how many #2 men do they have, exactly? Is Al-Qaida like Goldman Sachs, where there are 10,000 Vice Presidents (my brother was one)? More importantly, now that Bin Laden is dead, who is the #1 man at Al-Qaida? Is it Al-Zawahiri? Are we looking for him?

    yochtzel
    yochtzel
    11 years ago

    Its very funny, they’re all ways hitting the #2 guy never had they hit the #3 or 4 guy, and only once did they hit the #1 guy (OBL) but when he was out of the main command line.

    yiddishkind
    yiddishkind
    11 years ago

    He can kiss the feet of the republicans and the Bush administration for setting up the drones programs and republican congress for funding them. If the Democrats had their way, we would be as strong as South America. Just listen to how he wants to cut the military

    11 years ago

    To #1 - Sherry- Welcome back; we haven’t heard from you in quite a while! Where have you been?