World Watch
By

Bob Orr /

CBS News/ June 4, 2012, 7:02 PM

Drone strike in Pakistan targets al Qaeda leader

Senior al Qaeda figure Abu Yahya al Libi addressed the current situation in Somalia and the recent peace negotiations between the rival parties there in a new video produced by al Qaeda s media win Al Sahab and posted on militant Islamist Internet forums

Senior al Qaeda figure Abu Yahya al Libi

/ Al Sahab

(CBS News) U.S. officials confirm that a drone strike early today in Pakistan targeted al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi. But officials still can't say whether al Libi was hit in the strike.

If confirmed, al Libi's death would be a big blow to the remaining Pakistan-based core of al Qaeda. He is among a handful of senior advisors left from the inner circle of al Qaeda founder Osama bin laden. al Libi has served as a leading propagandist for the group, an operational leader, and most recently as second-in command to new al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri.

Relentless drone strikes have seriously thinned the senior ranks of the al Qaeda network. In the past two years more than a dozen top leaders have been killed by U.S. strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, among them bin Laden and US born cleric Anwar al Awlaki.

U.S. officials say the terror group may no longer be capable of a large scale strike against the United States, but caution that it remains a danger.

The Associated Press reports that the strike was the seventh drone strike in less than two weeks in Pakistan, which is demanding that the United States end the program. Pakistani intelligence officials told the AP that four missiles were fired at a suspected hideout in North Waziristan, a tribal area near the Afghanistan border, early Monday morning. The suspected militants were reportedly gathered to honor a militant commander who had been killed in an early drone strike at the time of the attack.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
23 Comments Add a Comment
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finkfurst4 says:
Fed-Up_Patriot - You mean just like US soldiers who massacre civilians are prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law"! US justice is a bad joke.

In any case, you completely missed the point. It's not about how likely a situation is, it's about the moral equivalence. The reason Americans think it's OK to kill anyone you want to, anywhere in the world, with no legal evidence whatsoever, is because you think you have more moral rights than any other people in the world. THAT is why you are hated across most of the world.
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Fed-Up_Patriot replies:
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The US soldiers are enforcing the law.. WTH are you talking about.. Pakistan is doing nothing.. I guess we should just sit here and take it.
As far as being hated around the world.. I could care fr1cken less. Most of these people are not our friend.. The only thing I'm worried about is our stopping these terrorist before they commit more harm... And buy the way that man's name was on our stack of 50 cards for years.. Do you remember this? Did pakistan even try to bring him in for questioning.. H@ll no.. don't tell me nobody knew he was there.
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Santiagojjjr says:
Drone Strike Kills No. 2 in Al Qaeda: Exclusive Video!
Al Qaeda's deputy leader, Abu Yahya al-Libi, was killed in a drone strike in northern Pakistan, an American official confirmed on Tuesday, in the biggest single success in the controversial campaign's eight-year history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbTOSJp97DM
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thechooch1 says:
by finkfurst4 June 5, 2012 10:38 AM EDT
thechooch1 - "Pakistan is harboring terrorists, we are not" Are you REALLY sure about that? I bet before 9/11 you were sure there were no terrorists training in the USA!

Why don't you answer the question?

You proposed a hypothetical question about Pakistan bombing the USA. You might as well asked what we would do if the Sun didn't rise tomorrow. NOT going to happen.
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finkfurst4 replies:
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Errrr... What was 9/11 then? I thought that was foreigners bombing the USA. What do you think it was, an accident?
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finkfurst4 says:
EmpireGeorge, thechooch1 - Let's get to fundamental morals..... Which has killed more innocent civilians in the last 10 years, al Qaeda or the US armed forces?
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thechooch1 replies:
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finkfurst4 I rarely agree with George, but other than the name calling he is right on. Wars kill innocent civilians, in your world the USA should have just sat back and let al Qaeda blow innocents up in the States and throughout the world?
finkfurst4 replies:
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EmpireGeorge - Why don't you answer the question? Are you ashamed?
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melpol12 says:
Speedy information needs to be given to killer drones; thousands of new spies must be recruited and their salaries doubled. Islamic militants should be torn apart before they touch a weapon. There is no reason that Sheikh al-Libi was given the chance to spawn 50 children.
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finkfurst4 says:
If Pakistan dropped a bomb on American soil because it said it had 'intelligence' about a terrorist leader, what do you think the USA would do?
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thechooch1 replies:
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finkfurst4 you are trying to compare apples and oranges! Pakistan is harboring terrorists, we are not. If we were, then we would deserve that outcome.
finkfurst4 replies:
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thechooch1 - "Pakistan is harboring terrorists, we are not" Are you REALLY sure about that? I bet before 9/11 you were sure there were no terrorists training in the USA!

Why don't you answer the question?
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UForgotPoland says:
We should target the real terrorist, the Pakistani Government.
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cbs_bull replies:
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Exactly.
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baileycccc says:
More scum bags taken off the streets. This is a good thing.
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Fed-Up_Patriot says:
Keep up the good work. Don't stop with the leadership. Gas for drones and Hellfire missiles are cheap.
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thechooch1 replies:
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fedup12 don't know where you came up with your 6000 number, but how much do you value an American life? Do you prefer either not going after them, or endangering our military members?
Fed-Up_Patriot replies:
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thechooch1.

I don't know what 6000 number you are talking about and you've got your people confused. "fedup12" is somebody else who posts here from time to time on CBS. My handle is "Fed-Up_Patriot". Maybe you should respond to "fedup12" wherever it was that he posted this "6000" number. Respectfully, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Oh wait a minute... Was the issue that "fedup12" replied to me I didn't see it and then you replied. After this somebody come along and flagged his comment and had it taken down? I'm confused. I don't know what happened here.
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fedup12 says:
it is a slow news day
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