Officials Say Al Qaeda Commanders Killed

Intelligence Sources Tell AP Two Senior Militants Killed In Latest Pakistan Strike

(CBS/AP)  Two top al Qaeda operatives were among four foreign militants killed in a suspected U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's northwest, intelligence officials said Wednesday.

One allegedly was in charge of the terror network's activities in Pakistan's tribal regions, semiautonomous areas that the U.S. fears have become a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban fighters involved in attacks on American and NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The suspected missile strike occurred Monday in the North Waziristan tribal region, destroying a seminary and houses associated with a Taliban commander.

The presence of al Qaeda operatives added to evidence of cooperation between homegrown militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the largely Arab terror group. The tribal belt is considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Several suspected missile strikes in recent days indicated the U.S. is escalating direct efforts to root out militants along the lengthy, porous Afghan-Pakistan border.

The U.S. military and the CIA operate drone aircraft believed to have carried out such strikes, including ones that killed two senior al Qaeda commanders earlier this year. In addition, a highly unusual U.S.-led ground assault that reportedly left at least 15 dead in South Waziristan earlier this month provoked strong public protests from the Pakistani government.

Three Pakistani intelligence officials identified four foreign militants killed in the Monday strike as Abu Qasim, Abu Musa, Abu Hamza and Abu Haris. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of their jobs' sensitivity.

Abu Haris led al Qaeda efforts in the tribal areas, while Abu Hamza led activities in Peshawar, the main northwest city, according to the intelligence officials, who said they got the details from informants and agents in the field.

An Arab diplomat based in Pakistan with responsibilities including intelligence gathering cautioned against putting too much value in the strike, regardless of who may have been killed by the missiles.

"Al Qaeda may be moving already to replace these characters who have been killed," said the diplomat, who spoke to CBS News' Farhan Bokhari Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

"Lets be clear about one thing; It is impossible to tell if one guy is head of al Qaeda operations in the tribal areas or in Peshawar... There is no single al Qaeda operation commander anywhere. If one fellow goes down another comes up. Al Qaeda is more like a tradition or a cult where one individual after another doesn't matter. I am sure, unless decimated otherwise, al Qaeda will continue even after bin Laden. No one is immortal, but causes continue, they carry on," the diplomat said.

Abu Haris' nationality had yet to be confirmed, but Abu Hamza was from Saudi Arabia, the officials said. Abu Hamza was believed to be a bomb-making expert as well. Abu Qasim was Egyptian, while Abu Musa also was Saudi, but both appeared to be lower-ranking al Qaeda members.

An army spokesman, Maj. Murad Khan, said Wednesday the military had no information about the identity or nationality of the men killed in what he called "explosions" in North Waziristan.

"We don't know who died in the explosions there," he said.

A U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan said he had no information he could release on the subject but did not deny an American connection.

Two of the intelligence officials said Tuesday that the overall death toll from the strike rose to 20 after residents and militants pulled more bodies from the rubble.

Witnesses said two Predator drones were in the sky shortly before multiple explosions hit the seminary and houses in the village of Dande Darba Khel on Monday morning.

The targets were associated with Jalaluddin Haqqani, a veteran of the fight against Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s who American commanders now count as a dangerous foe. Haqqani is alleged to have close connections to al Qaeda and to have helped funnel foreign fighters into Afghanistan.

Haqqani and his son, Siraj, have been linked to attacks this year including an attempt to kill Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a suicide attack on a hotel in Kabul. Haqqani network operatives also plague U.S. forces in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province with ambushes and roadside bombs.

U.S. officials say the elimination of insurgent hideouts in Pakistan is critical to stemming the growing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Pakistan's fledgling government has struggled to contain militancy, despite using peace talks and force.

The Pakistan army said in a statement that 11 suspected militants were killed and seven others wounded Wednesday by artillery fire in the Kuza Bandi area of the Swat Valley, another northwest region where the military has been battling insurgents.

Separately, militants fired several rockets overnight at two military camps in North Waziristan's two towns of Mir Ali and Miran Shah, but the rockets fell in open areas and caused no troop casualties, Khan, the Pakistan army spokesman, said Wednesday.

He said the troops returned fire, but they had no information about any militant casualties.

[libluv2whine]

osama bin laden is dead..anybody wants to prove that he is not?

[libluv2whine]

Score: 2 killed and according to the picture accompanying the story 10 recruited.

At this rate McCain will have Al Qaeda up to 100% manned by June 2009... when Sarah takes over after his stroke.

Regards,


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Posted by Nancy_Naive at 05:53 AM : Sep 11, 2008
+ report abuse


*********

i guess enough to recruit you..or you would gladly join and force that stands against this country REGARDLESS..

[hamiltongrad]

SMAME on CBS


There is an odd tone to this article, showing the American Flag burned. What does this have to do with our success in killing those SOBs ?
What is this was WWII, and we just bombed the headquarters of some Nazi generals ? Would the media back then show the Germans stomping on the American Flag ? No way. This is what is wrong with CBS.
Do they realize that to do this, means that there has to be infiltration on the very site, finding out who is who, waiting till they gather for a meeting and then sending a sophisticated missle to strike that very house. Cutting off the heads of a snake is good. It saves our lives, and kills our enemies. Esp on 9 11, shame on you CBS.

[downsteamjim]

Sounds like CBS/AP cleared this with their Al Queda handlers.

[gce65]

"Pakistani intelligence officials identified four foreign militants killed in the Monday strike as Abu Qasim, Abu Musa, Abu Hamza and Abu Haris."

Translation: Fred Smith, Fred Jones, Fred Wilson and Fred Harris.

[gce65]

Great, that leaves how many al Qaeda commanders? Hundreds? Thousands? And how many billion Muslims who still want the US out of their part of the world?

Seven years later, Bush has still FAILED to capture, kill, or even locate Osama bin Laden. That was his #1 priority after 9/11, wasn''t it? That changed about a month later after all the bravado.

What an empty suit Bush turned out to be!

[inventagod2]

snore

your daily propaganda fix...

[petro49l]

Bin Laden had Al Qada Operatives killed by the Coalition to eliminate his rivals within the Organization. Osama boasts that Al Qada money pays for favors, in Washington DC. Politicians there accept bribes from terror groups. U.S. Special Forces will not penetrate Osama''s Waziristan santuary because he is protected from within the Pentagon and Congress. Bin Laden is free to produce tar heroin from the exotic poppies brewing inside his isomizers. Addicts in the United States pay a great deal of money for Bin Laden''s street heroin.

[wardoglrs]

al Qaeda operatives Huh yea like they were probably ten year olds playing foot ball. *** this military there losers for killing so many innocent women and children. But no biggie there brown skinned right America?. McCain will just nuke them and Obama will
tax them to death either you lose.

[bluestardad]

BIN LADEN HAS NOT BEEN CAUGHT!

[yongamerica]

It sounds more and more that Saudi Arabia is secretly funding al Qaeda covertly, using American oil dollars.