Al-Qaeda number-three leader reported dead
By Greg Miller and Craig Whitlock
Monday, May 31, 2010; 10:32 PM
Al-Qaeda's third-ranking operative, an Egyptian who was a founding member of the terrorist network and a key conduit to Osama bin Laden, has been killed in Pakistan, according to a statement Monday from al-Qaeda that U.S. intelligence officials believe is accurate.
A U.S. official said there is "strong reason" to believe that Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, known as Sheik Saeed al-Masri, was killed, apparently by a CIA drone strike in Pakistan's tribal belt within the past two weeks.
The official described it as a significant victory against the terrorist group.
"Al-Masri was the group's chief operating officer, with a hand in everything from finances to operational planning," the official said. "He was also the organization's prime conduit to bin Laden and Zawahiri," he added, referring to al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. "He was key to al-Qaeda's command and control."
Yazid, 54, was an original member of al-Qaeda's Shura leadership council and had served as an adviser to bin Laden for more than 15 years. More recently, he served as al-Qaeda's chief organizational manager, in charge of its finances and logistics, as well as a liaison to the Taliban and other extremist groups.
Yazid was part of the Egyptian contingent that has dominated al-Qaeda's leadership since the network's founding. He and Zawahiri served time in prison in the early 1980s for their role as conspirators in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
The Sept. 11 Commission identified Yazid as al-Qaeda's "chief financial manager" and said he opposed the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings "because he feared the U.S. response to the attack." He stayed loyal to bin Laden, however, and took on an increasingly important role in the network after the deaths of other senior leaders in recent years.
Previous reports of Masri's death proved unfounded. But the U.S. official said the latest reports appear accurate. "In terms of level of confidence, it's very high," the official said. |
