U.S. officials have all but confirmed that a drone strike in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region has killed al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, Abu Yahya al-Libi.
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According to the Associated Press, al-Libi’s death proves to be a significant blow to the terror network, which has lost many of its top leaders at the hands of the American drone program.
Al-Libi would be the latest in the dozen-plus senior commanders removed in the covert U.S. war against al-Qaeda since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden just over a year ago.
Pakistan has evidence that al-Qaeda’s second-in-command was in a house destroyed by a U.S. drone strike in the country’s northwest tribal region, but it is unclear whether he was killed.
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.
The officials are 80 percent certain al-Libi died Monday, but that they were still trying to get confirmation.
But a local Taliban chief said al-Libi was not present at the house, though his guard and driver were killed in the attack.
Al-Libi, an Islamic scholar, was captured in 2002 and held by U.S. forces at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan until he escaped in 2005 in an embarrassing security breach. Almost immediately after reuniting with his Taliban and al-Qaeda brethren, he began appearing in videos.
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.
In an election year, this is another good look for President Obama!
