Bush doesn't look weak or ineffective to me....
Top Al Qaeda Official Reportedly Killed
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia's security forces have killed a man identified as Al Qaeda's chief of operations on the Arabian Peninsula.
The man was killed with another alleged militant in a shootout Monday in the capital, U.S. and Saudi officials said.
The Saudi Interior Ministry (search) identified the alleged chief of operations as Khaled Ali Haj, a Yemeni and the other militant as Ibrahim bin Abdul-Aziz bin Mohammed al-Mezeini, a Saudi.
Haj, who also uses the name Abu Hazim al-Sha'ir, was the "most dangerous" Al Qaeda operative in the region, a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He once served as a body guard to Usama bin Laden (search), the leader of Al Qaeda (search).
A U.S. counterterrorism official said Haj's killing was a "major, very significant blow" to Al Qaeda.
"This guy was involved in ongoing terrorist planning and plotting," the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Haj was third on the government's list of Saudi Arabia's 26 most wanted militants. The other militant killed Monday was not on the list.
Of the 26, three have now been killed, one has surrendered and a deputy interior minister has been quoted as saying an unspecified number have been arrested.
In Monday's shootout, the militants were in a vehicle that refused to stop for an identification check by members of the security forces, the ministry statement said. The suspects began shooting at the security forces, who returned fire, killing the two, the statement said.
The security forces confiscated six hand grenades, two AK-47 assault rifles, three 9mm pistols and $137,000 in cash from the men's vehicle, the ministry said. |
