Aug. 1, 2008

Exclusive: Al Qaeda No. 2 Injured?

Letter Obtained By CBS News Urgently Requests Doctor To Treat Ayman al-Zawahiri

  • Play CBS Video Video Al Qaeda No. 2 Dead?

    Lara Logan reports on evidence which suggests that Ayman al Zawahiri, the second most powerful leader in al Qaeda directly behind Osama Bin Laden, may have been critically wounded and possibly dead.

    • CBS News obtained a copy of this letter asking for medical aid for al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al Zawahiri. Photo

      CBS News obtained a copy of this letter asking for medical aid for al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al Zawahiri.  (CBS)

    • Ayman al-Zawahiri speaks on a video released in July, 2007. Photo

      Ayman al-Zawahiri speaks on a video released in July, 2007.  (CBS)

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(CBS)  Ayman al-Zawahiri - the second most powerful leader in al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden's No. 2 - may be critically wounded and possibly dead, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan reports exclusively.

CBS News has obtained a copy of an intercepted letter from sources in Pakistan, which urgently requests a doctor to treat al-Zawahiri. He's believed to be somewhere in Pakistan's remote tribal areas of Pakistan.

The letter refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected."

[Following the broadcast of this report, Taliban officials denied that al-Zawahiri was injured or killed in any missile attack.]

The letter is reportedly written by local Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, whose signature and seal are visible on the letter.

The Taliban logo and the Mehsud's seal have been confirmed by experts as legitimate.

The letter is dated July 29 - one day after a U.S. air strike that killed al Qaeda weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, and five other Arabs in South Waziristan.

U.S. authorities have said they do not have information that al-Zawahiri was present during Monday's strike, or that he was injured.

However, a counter-intelligence expert and other U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. is looking into reports that al-Zawahiri is dead.

Logan reports that while there have been false death rumors regarding al-Zawahiri before, there have been no denials yet from Pakistan, the U.S. or al Qaeda Web sites.


© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Video and Galleries from CBS Evening News

Add a Comment See all 219 Comments
by republic1776 August 1, 2008 6:57 PM PDT
Good,
I hope this dirtbag is dead!
Reply to this comment
by hober_mallow August 1, 2008 6:59 PM PDT
I''m no supporter of George Bush or his phony war, but if al Zawahiri dies, that would be a good thing.
Reply to this comment
by libsluv2spit August 1, 2008 6:59 PM PDT
Why does the GOP attack us? They hate us for our freedom.


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Posted by downtowner97 at 06:54 PM : Aug 01, 2008
+ report abuse


***********

squirm your terrorist appeasing liberal..squirm..that noose is getting thighter and thighter..SQUIRM
Reply to this comment
by usclimey August 1, 2008 7:01 PM PDT
Until he''s rotting in SuperMax waiting for the needle we should have caution. Remember today''s dead dirtbag is tomorrow''s Isalmic Martyr
Reply to this comment
by August 1, 2008 7:05 PM PDT
This grumpy old man claim to fame is talking Muslim youth to die for his cause.
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 7:07 PM PDT
"The letter refers to Sheikh Dr. Ayman ul Zawahiri by name - and says that he is in "severe pain" and his "injuries are infected." - article



I hope he is still alive and in severe pain still. I hope his injuries are from the bombs that killed al Qaeda weapons expert Abu Khabab al-Masri, and five other Arabs in South Waziristan. And I hope he is able to pass on to all that visit him that one moment they were enjoying tea and the next, out of no where with out warning, Allah willed an explosion that has set him to his current misery.

All terrorist should die after a protracted, painful wounding. May he rot in hell, Allah willing of course.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 1, 2008 7:08 PM PDT
Send him 72 Ga# GUY VIRGIN EH.....
Reply to this comment
by dcnewton2 August 1, 2008 7:09 PM PDT
I hope he survives so we can water board the slimeball.
Reply to this comment
by ankouemo August 1, 2008 7:11 PM PDT
How do we know that this is not a distraction
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 7:18 PM PDT
vietnam21 - I''d like it if the US could give them ALL the oportunity to see the 72 virgins (goats).
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot1 August 1, 2008 7:18 PM PDT
Didn''t they kill the #2 guy multiple times already. This is beginning to read like an Austin Powers movie.
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot1 August 1, 2008 7:20 PM PDT
How do we know that this is not a distraction

Posted by ankouemo

It IS a distraction and it has people talking about the great "successes" of the moron-in-chief and gets simple minded people thinking we need more of the same, in November. It''s all geared around getting McBush elected.

Reply to this comment
by deacon20081 August 1, 2008 7:27 PM PDT
Show me a Dead Body...then I might believe it
Reply to this comment
by voxpopulus August 1, 2008 7:29 PM PDT
"but it simply cannot be denied that the man knows how to kill and capture terrorist scum."

Yeah. Ignore the country they do come from, and the country they are in, and invade one they do not come from and aren''t in.
Reply to this comment
by deacon20081 August 1, 2008 7:29 PM PDT
It IS a distraction and it has people talking about the great "successes" of the moron-in-chief and gets simple minded people thinking we need more of the same, in November. It''''s all geared around getting McBush elected.

We have seen the propaganda spin machine working overtime before, I doubt this is anything different.
Reply to this comment
by shazam112 August 1, 2008 7:32 PM PDT
SHOW me the dead mullah than I will believe it...pakistanis are big big liar ...
Reply to this comment
by wwudiver August 1, 2008 7:33 PM PDT
"I hope he survives so we can water board the slimeball. "

You have to violate pakistan''s sovereignty first. If they can''t control their borders and continue having an issue with what is there a popular movement, can we just carpet bomb those border stinkies below the stone age level that they live in?

My buddy Jason Bogar was killed playing this game of border jumping a few weeks ago. We need to pour resources to people who attacked us. Regardless of the reason for the attack we need to make an example. We need to call our generals and tell them to kill them no matter where they hide, even if we chase them Islamabad.

Reply to this comment
by dnamj August 1, 2008 7:36 PM PDT
If true, it would be good progress. This guy is a truly bad guy, and we should have gone after him and never stopped. But I doubt it''s true.
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 7:38 PM PDT
Didn''''t they kill the #2 guy multiple times already. This is beginning to read like an Austin Powers movie.


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Posted by cdfoxtrot1

You just showed your intelligence level, he''s only been the #2 man since roughly June of 01''
Reply to this comment
by bhphoto August 1, 2008 7:39 PM PDT
i want bin ladin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 7:40 PM PDT
Thank you President George W. Bush!!!
Reply to this comment
by marshall_nee August 1, 2008 7:41 PM PDT
Was it his right wrist that got ''Injured'' from all those constant hand gestures he seems to do in every video?
Reply to this comment
by annia1233 August 1, 2008 7:44 PM PDT
I will pray for God to deliver him some gangrene to both legs and his tongue, and kidney shut down, I also hope he will have encephalopathy and MRSA.
Reply to this comment
by mandalay-bay August 1, 2008 7:45 PM PDT
Less than 100 days to a national election day and the propaganda tide is approaching maximum flood...

Regards,


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Posted by Nancy_Naive at 07:37 PM : Aug 01, 2008

Yup. He might be "hurt"...or....."seriously injured"....maybe even "dead"...who knows?

could be any of those...could be none...


Yeah right...
Reply to this comment
by marshall_nee August 1, 2008 7:45 PM PDT
I will pray for God to deliver him some gangrene to both legs and his tongue, and kidney shut down, I also hope he will have encephalopathy and MRSA.

Posted by annia1233 at 07:44 PM : Aug 01, 2008

Just send him to the UK for pretty much all of those.
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 7:46 PM PDT
Maybe we can send Dr. Kevorkian.
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 7:50 PM PDT
"Less than 100 days to a national election day and the propaganda tide is approaching maximum flood... - Nancy_Naive


You wouldn''t mean like Michael Moron''s award winning ''documentary'' would you ?


Tough having the shoe on the other foot ain''t it.
Reply to this comment
by royalia August 1, 2008 7:54 PM PDT
This is good news. Why has it taken so long? Oops, we invaded Iraq, where there were no al Qaeda before we invaded! Hasn''t Obama been clearly stating that we need to put more effort into Afghanistan and Pakistan? Yes, that''s RIGHT folks! I am sincerely happy that he may have been hurt or killed. But how is this a credit to Bush? And a note to CBS about the sub-heading for this War on Terror section that calls it "Bush''s War on Terror". Uh, when did become his war? It''s a global effor that involves many, many countries. Did W. invent this war?
Reply to this comment
by wdh3007 August 1, 2008 8:02 PM PDT
If true then OBL and his security must not be too far ahead and Al Qaeda has taken a severe loss in the last few days. But now at least we all know the leadership is indeed concentrated inside Pakistan''s tribal area. Now it is time for the intelligence community to hit hard on what''s infront of them!
Reply to this comment
by oneamerican_ August 1, 2008 8:02 PM PDT
If it wasn''t from the Hellfire missle strike - then it is probably involving a nasty sexually transmitted disease and a goat.

Poor goat.
Reply to this comment
by royalia August 1, 2008 8:03 PM PDT
Yes, yes, "liberals" like to have their cities blown up. I voted for Bush twice. Big mistake. Answer this question. Don''t ya think we could have had al Qaeda in south and central Asia pretty much wiped out if we hadn''t invaded Iraq? You DO know al Qaeda wasn''t in Iraq before we invaded, right? You DO know Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, right? Look it up, do some research, find the Youtube clip with Cheney saying so himself.
Reply to this comment
by libsluv2spit August 1, 2008 8:08 PM PDT
Posted by royalia at 08:03 PM : Aug 01, 2008
+ report abuse


**********

where ever there is radical islamic ideology..THERE WILL ALWAYS BE AN ''AL QUEDA" AND WHENEVER there is an anti-american cause..there will be a liberal right behind it..
Reply to this comment
by libsluv2spit August 1, 2008 8:11 PM PDT
Ayman al-Zawahiri and George W Bush have something in common - "A Pet Goat"...




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Posted by IOWEIGN at 08:06 PM : Aug 01, 2008
+ report abuse

*************

and we all know liberals knows all about ''pet goats'' and deseases
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 8:18 PM PDT
"This news will upset liberals.

"Anything that''s bad for America''s enemies and good for America makes liberals angry - SpinLiberal



Yeah - good thing it was a shear coincidence that former President Ford died the same day that Zarqawi''s died, otherwise people would be asking the New York Times and Pelosi why their US flags were at half mast.

Ha ha - just kidding. Everyone knows there aren''t any US flags at the NY Times building.
Reply to this comment
by libsluv2spit August 1, 2008 8:18 PM PDT
Posted by IRLiberal at 08:13 PM : Aug 01, 2008
+ report abuse


*******************

that is a very generic ''reasoning'' from a liberal..they use it all the time since the 60''s. Of course, it makes you squirm when things like things turns up int he news.
Reply to this comment
by royalia August 1, 2008 8:24 PM PDT
Let''s start over without the liberal and neocon labels. How about we use objective evidence. You want to kill terrorists in an Islamic state? Then start in Saudi Arabia, not Iraq. Most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. There ARE terrorist cells in western Europe (France, Spain, Netherlands). And if you want to talk about real failure, let''s talk about the failure of the Bush Administration to act on the VOLUMINOUS intelligence about al Qaeda threats in 2000 and leading up to September 11. If you want the source, I''ll give it to you.
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 8:27 PM PDT
shazam112 - don''t stroke out on us gomer.

Allah willing, I''m sure Ayman al-Zawahiri will survive that hellfire to suffer for a LONG time, m''boy.
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 8:32 PM PDT
I hope that little traitor Adam Gadahn gets his soon.
Reply to this comment
by ioweign August 1, 2008 8:36 PM PDT
Failure of Bush. Failure of Cheney. Failure of the republicans.

Time for a change.

Posted by IRLiberal at 08:31 PM : Aug 01, 2008


Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

John F. Kennedy
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 8:36 PM PDT
Bin Laden still lives. The mastermind of 9/11 still walks free. Posted by IRLiberal at 08:31 PM

On February 23, 1998, he issued a joint fatwa with Osama bin Laden under the title "World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders". Zawahiri, not bin Laden, is thought to have been the actual author of the fatwa.[52] Similarly, bin Laden''s preferred biographer Hamid Mir is reported to have said that he believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri was the operational head of al-Qaeda, and that "[h]e is the person who can do the things that happened on Sept. 11."[53]
Reply to this comment
by shazam112 August 1, 2008 8:37 PM PDT
shazam112 - what''''s za matter - got your goat, so to speak ?


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Posted by RosieOD4Prez at 08:33

If like rosie dine you can be my goat ,but I am long way to toronto ,plenty of grazing for you along the way...rosie b-utttts.....
Reply to this comment
by rosieod4prez August 1, 2008 8:37 PM PDT
royalia - it''s not that we don''t want to answer you.

We just don''t want to read your comments.
Reply to this comment
by obama8years August 1, 2008 8:37 PM PDT
Barack Obama has seen which way the wind is blowing on gas prices, and today he changed his mind about offshore drilling:

"My interest is in making sure we''''''''ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage%u2014I don''''''''t want to be so rigid that we can''''''''t get something done."
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About time I hear something that makes sense from Obama lips. Now Obama get your boss Nancy to get back in the Congress Session and Pass a Bill. Will See Oil spiral as soon as its signed. The psychology of the World finding out America is going to Drill for its own oil, will make the market unstable. Will start seeing 2.00 gas. IT WILL HAPPEN. or we Could just go Inflate our tires.
Reply to this comment
by irliberal August 1, 2008 8:38 PM PDT
Bin Laden still lives. The mastermind of 9/11 still walks free. Posted by IRLiberal at 08:31 PM

On February 23, 1998, he issued a joint fatwa with Osama bin Laden under the title "World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders". Zawahiri, not bin Laden, is thought to have been the actual author of the fatwa.[52] Similarly, bin Laden''''s preferred biographer Hamid Mir is reported to have said that he believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri was the operational head of al-Qaeda, and that "[h]e is the person who can do the things that happened on Sept. 11."[53]

Posted by thcarson at 08:36 PM

Fine. They''re both still alive. And we invaded and occupied a country that had nothing - nothing at all - to do with al qaeda.
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 8:38 PM PDT
Rosie cosie posie dosie what a freaking name lady bug...


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Posted by shazam112


How old are you, 4? Does your mom know you''re on the computer talking to grown-ups
Reply to this comment
by shazam112 August 1, 2008 8:38 PM PDT
OH you again liar boy....obama 20 years
Reply to this comment
by irliberal August 1, 2008 8:39 PM PDT
royalia - it''''s not that we don''''t want to answer you.

We just don''''t want to read your comments.

Posted by RosieOD4Prez at 08:37 PM

We? Who''s we? You and ... your other hand? Lol..
Reply to this comment
by irliberal August 1, 2008 8:40 PM PDT
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

John F. Kennedy

Posted by IOWEIGN at 08:36 PM

Very nice quote. 8-)
Reply to this comment
by shazam112 August 1, 2008 8:41 PM PDT
Posted by shazam112


How old are you, 4? Does your mom know you''''re on the computer talking to grown-ups


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Posted by thcarson at 08:38 PM : Aug 01, 2008


GROWN UP lord have mercy another bubble bee ,do grown up have meager brains in the u.s.
Reply to this comment
by thcarson-2009 August 1, 2008 8:41 PM PDT
Fine. They''''re both still alive. And we invaded and occupied a country that had nothing - nothing at all - to do with al qaeda.


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Posted by IRLiberal

You seem pretty sure about them both being alive, maybe your posting from a cave in Pakistan.
Reply to this comment
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