January 31, 2008

Reports: Top Al-Qaida Operative Killed

One of al-Qaida's top commanders in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, has been killed, reportedly near the Afghan-Pakistan border, several sources confirm. However, the details of his death are still fuzzy.

The news first appeared on Ekhlaas.org, a Web site used by Islamist groups, BBC News reports. It has since been confirmed by the Washington-based SITE Institute and various news organizations.

Al-Libi, a senior leader of the terrorist organization, served as a "key liaison" with the Taliban, according to AP. Citing Pakistani intelligence officials and locals, AP reports that "a missile hit a compound in a village about 2.5 miles outside Mir Ali in North Waziristan late Monday or early Tuesday, destroying the facility." Pakistani officials said they did not know the source of the missile. BBC News reports that about a dozen militants were killed in the attack, including al-Libi.

A Western intelligence official quoted by ABC News called al-Libi's death "significant," but added, "it's not bin Laden and Zawahri. They do have an ability to regenerate and replace these guys."

Among the terrorist acts tied to al-Libi, who was of Libyan descent, is the February 2007 suicide bombing near the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney; 23 people were killed in that attack. Al-Libi has also appeared in several al-Qaida videos with other top leaders of the terrorist group.

Posted at 3:15 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Pakistan, Terrorism
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