WASHINGTON: US officials said on Thursday that al Qaedas chief of operations, Abu Hafs al Shahri was reportedly killed in Pakistan this week.
According to a US official who did not wish to be named, al Shahris death was labeled as a blow to al Qaedas core group present in Pakistan. According to the US official, al Shahri played a key operational and administrative role for the group.
Abu Hafs al Shahris death, said the official, will also pose a challenge for Ayman al Zawahiri, now al Qaedas leader after Osama Bin Ladens death in Abbottabad in May. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the US official said that al Shahri was a contender to assume the groups second in command Atiyah Abd al Rahmans duties.
Al Shahri coordinated al Qaedas anti-US plotting in the region, and worked closely with the Pakistani Taliban to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The US official did not comment on the circumstances leading to al Shahris death, however earlier this week, the media reported that at least three people had been killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan on September 11.
On August 22, another US drone strike in North Waziristan led to the death of alQaedas second in command Atiyah Abd al Rahman.
Another senior US administration official confirmed to The Express Tribune that al Shahri had been killed in Waziristan earlier this week.
Al Shahris death will further degrade al Qaedas ability to recover from the death last month of al Qaedas number two, Atiyah, because of his operations experience and connections within the group. Al Shahris death removes a key threat inside Pakistan, where he collaborated closely with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan to conduct coordinated attacks.
Al Qaeda leader Abu Hafs al Shahri killed in Pakistan: US official – The Express Tribune
According to a US official who did not wish to be named, al Shahris death was labeled as a blow to al Qaedas core group present in Pakistan. According to the US official, al Shahri played a key operational and administrative role for the group.
Abu Hafs al Shahris death, said the official, will also pose a challenge for Ayman al Zawahiri, now al Qaedas leader after Osama Bin Ladens death in Abbottabad in May. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the US official said that al Shahri was a contender to assume the groups second in command Atiyah Abd al Rahmans duties.
Al Shahri coordinated al Qaedas anti-US plotting in the region, and worked closely with the Pakistani Taliban to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The US official did not comment on the circumstances leading to al Shahris death, however earlier this week, the media reported that at least three people had been killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan on September 11.
On August 22, another US drone strike in North Waziristan led to the death of alQaedas second in command Atiyah Abd al Rahman.
Another senior US administration official confirmed to The Express Tribune that al Shahri had been killed in Waziristan earlier this week.
Al Shahris death will further degrade al Qaedas ability to recover from the death last month of al Qaedas number two, Atiyah, because of his operations experience and connections within the group. Al Shahris death removes a key threat inside Pakistan, where he collaborated closely with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan to conduct coordinated attacks.
Al Qaeda leader Abu Hafs al Shahri killed in Pakistan: US official – The Express Tribune