Senior al-Qaeda Leader 'Killed' in Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda's number three leader in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, has been killed, reports say. Yazid, also known as Sheikh Said al-Masri, died along with his wife and three children, Islamist websites said, quoting a statement from al-Qaeda.

US officials say they believe he was killed recently in the tribal areas of Pakistan in an American drone attack. Previous reports of his
death have been wrong, but this is the first time al-Qaeda has acknowledged such claims.

American officials often refer to the Egyptian-born militant as the main conduit to leader Osama Bin Laden. As al-Qaeda's operational commander in Afghanistan, he is believed to have had a hand in everything from finances to operational planning, reports BBC News.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was "strong reason" to believe that Yazid was killed in Pakistan's tribal areas in the past two weeks. US monitoring groups said a message from al-Qaeda posted on Islamist forums on 31 May said the militant's wife, three of his daughters, his granddaughter, and other men, women, and children, were killed.

The message translated by the SITE group, which monitors Islamist websites, did not give any details about the circumstances of his reported death, other than to speak of his "martyrdom."

"His death will only be a severe curse by his life upon the infidels. The response is near. That is sufficient," said the message translated by SITE.