MedicCook
01-31-2008, 03:17 PM
Sources: Top al Qaeda terrorist killed
http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/US/01/31/alqaeda.death/art.layth.dia.jpg
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior al Qaeda terrorist active in operational planning and training has been killed in Pakistan, a knowledgeable Western official and an unnamed military source said Thursday.
The official identified the terrorist as Abu Laith al-Libi, 41.
The official said al-Libi is "not far below the importance of the top two al Qaeda leaders" -- Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
CNN Middle East analyst Octavia Nasr called al-Libi the third-ranking terrorist in al Qaeda and fourth in the world.
The U.S. military placed al-Libi on its most wanted list in 2006, behind bin Laden, al-Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
He is of Libyan descent and has been in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region, the Western official said.
Islamist Web sites have acknowledged al-Libi's death.
The Web sites, however, said he was killed in Afghanistan.
A U.S. military official with Combined Joint Task Force-82 -- the anti-terror unit responsible for searching for al-Libi in Afghanistan -- said they have no information on al-Libi's death.
But he added that CJTF-82 does not collect information from outside of Afghanistan, and would be informed of targeted operations only "if the Pakistani military share[d] that with us."
The loss of the Libyan could hamper al Qaeda's efforts to establish a strong base of operations in North Africa, CNN correspondent Nic Robertson said.
U.S. officials have long said they believe bin Laden is hiding out in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/31/alqaeda.death/index.html
http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/US/01/31/alqaeda.death/art.layth.dia.jpg
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior al Qaeda terrorist active in operational planning and training has been killed in Pakistan, a knowledgeable Western official and an unnamed military source said Thursday.
The official identified the terrorist as Abu Laith al-Libi, 41.
The official said al-Libi is "not far below the importance of the top two al Qaeda leaders" -- Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
CNN Middle East analyst Octavia Nasr called al-Libi the third-ranking terrorist in al Qaeda and fourth in the world.
The U.S. military placed al-Libi on its most wanted list in 2006, behind bin Laden, al-Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
He is of Libyan descent and has been in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region, the Western official said.
Islamist Web sites have acknowledged al-Libi's death.
The Web sites, however, said he was killed in Afghanistan.
A U.S. military official with Combined Joint Task Force-82 -- the anti-terror unit responsible for searching for al-Libi in Afghanistan -- said they have no information on al-Libi's death.
But he added that CJTF-82 does not collect information from outside of Afghanistan, and would be informed of targeted operations only "if the Pakistani military share[d] that with us."
The loss of the Libyan could hamper al Qaeda's efforts to establish a strong base of operations in North Africa, CNN correspondent Nic Robertson said.
U.S. officials have long said they believe bin Laden is hiding out in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/31/alqaeda.death/index.html