In what U.S. officials described as major blow to al-Qaeda, the group's second-ranking leader, a terrorist known as Abu Yahya al-Libi, has been killed in a strike by a missile fired from a US-operated drone.
The Libyan-born cleric was killed by a drone-launched missile which was targeted at a militant hideout in a tribal region of Pakistan on the border of Afghanistan. The leader was at the core of what remained of the al-Qaeda network founded by Osama bin Laden, who was killed last year in a US commando raid. The US has been waging what has been referred to as a 'drone war' on militant targets in Pakistan since 2004, a move which has strained ties with Pakistan.
The White House confirmed the importance of al-Libi's demise:
Whitehouse Spokesman Jay Carney:
"This would be a major blow, we believe, al-Libi's death is a major blow to core al-Qaeda. Removing the number two leader for the second time in less than a year and further damaging the group's moral and cohesion and bringing it closer to it's ultimate demise than ever before."
US officials waited more than 24 hours before spreading word that they were confident al-Libi had been killed as he at least once had been reported, prematurely, to have been killed in a US drone strike.
