Jan 31 2008
Update On Pakistan Missile Strike
Well it appears someone got a high level al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan, though I was hoping for someone nearer to the top (but was not expecting it):
A senior al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, has been killed, senior Western counter-terrorism officials say.
News of Libi’s death first emerged on a website used by Islamists groups.The website, ekhlaas.org, said Libi had “fallen as a martyr”, the Reuters news agency reports.
And if this reporting is to be believed it was probably a US Predator – as I suspected way back when this report was first coming out.
Pakistani intelligence officials are blaming a suspected U.S. missile strike for killing up to 13 foreign militants in the country’s volatile North Waziristan region this week.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say at least one drone aircraft similar to those used by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was believed to have been involved in the attack.
They say seven Arabs and six Central Asians were killed in the strike which took place late Monday.
Neither the Pentagon nor the Pakistani military has confirmed the attack.
Not surprising that no one is going to talk. I doubt we would do anything without discussing it with Musharraf’s government. My most recent post on this matter can be found here. Roy Robison has a good article up at American Thinker folks may want to take a look at too.
Smoke ’em if you got ’em . . . ;o)
I’d call him pretty high up – “top” really isn’t the right word because AQ is not a strictly heirarchical organization like western military forces. More like a bunch of loosely affiliated people causing a bunch of damage any way they can, while providing aid and comfort to each other. This Al-Libi was one of the top 12, and probably was causing a lot more deaths than Bin Laden or Zwahiri are anymore. I expect those two are mostly holed up and do little except scream at America through their teeth – to do anything would expose them to death or capture.