Posted on 05/31/2010 6:43:26 PM PDT by kristinn
US officials tell ABC News that al Qaedas No. 3 -- Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid, known as Shaikh Said al-Masri and Mustafa Abu al-Yazid has been killed. Al Qaeda released a eulogy of Shaikh Said tonight, officials said.
"Word is spreading in extremist circles of the death of Sheikh Sa'id al-Masri, widely viewed as the number three figure in al-Qaeda, a US official told ABC News. We have strong reason to believe that's true, and that al-Masri was killed recently in Pakistan's tribal areas. In terms of counterterrorism, this would be a big victory.
US officials believed him to have been killed about a week ago in Pakistan.
Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri are the spiritual founders, and considered No. 1 and No. 2 of al Qaeda list, but Shaikh Said is considered the link between those two and rest of the operation, and for all intents and purposes the one running the organization day to day.
"Al-Masri was the group's chief operating officer, the official said, with a hand in everything from finances to operational planning. He was also the organization's prime conduit to Bin Ladin and Zawahiri. He was key to al-Qaeda's command and control.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
Well just dang it all.
This ruins Flotilla Day celebrations at the White House. and the DNC.
Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, seen on Al-Qaeda's as-Sahab Media in February. Yazid,a founder member of Al-Qaeda and a former treasurer to bin Laden, has been killed the terror group has said. (AFP/IntelCenter/File)
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Al-Yazid had little background in leading combat operations. But terrorism experts say his advantage was that he was close to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. As a fluent Pashto speaker known for impeccable manners, al-Yazid enjoyed better relations with the Afghans than many of the al-Qaida Arabs, whom the Afghans found arrogant and abrasive.
That suggested a conscious decision by al-Qaida to embed within the Taliban organization, helping the Afghan allies with expertise and training while at the same time putting an Afghan face on the war.
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He might be hard to replace....
Did that just get posted on Yahoo...not sure how they time stamp stuff.
May 31, 2010 9:30 PM
I don’t trust the main stream media to get things right.
LWJ
Top al Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu Yazid confirmed killed in airstrike in North Waziristan
By Bill RoggioMay 31, 2010
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/05/top_al_qaeda_leader_1.php
Al Qaeda has announced that its top leader in Afghanistan and chief financial official was killed in a US airstrike in Pakistan 10 days ago.
Mustafa Abu Yazid, who is also known as Sheikh Saeed al Masri, was killed in the May 21 Predator strike in the village of Mohammed Khel in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. Datta Khel is a known al Qaeda hub in North Waziristan.
He WILL be hard to replace.
However, the drones are waiting for the new no. 3, pure speculation of course.
may he receive God’s justice
A banner from As Sahab announcing the death of top al Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu Yazid.
Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/05/top_al_qaeda_leader_1.php#ixzz0pZSmC7VW
See the updates.
Ought to be in Breaking News.
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Under President Obama, the C.I.A. has steadily increased the number of missile attacks against targets in Pakistans tribal areas by remotely piloted Predator and Reaper drones. As of May 28, the C.I.A. had carried out 38 strikes this year, compared with 53 for all of 2009, according to The Long War Journal, a Web site that tracks the number of strikes.
No official word on this from our side?
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Rumors of Yazid's death were first reported by ABC News, which quoted US officials who said a eulogy for Yazid was to be released by As Sahab.
You mean they got Eric Holder?
Thanks Ernest.
Looks like unnamed "officials".
Still TBD in my book.
It would be nice to photoshop in some big porkers into that photo, or some slaps of Jimmy Dean Bacon (or at least *looter guy* in the background)...+
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