Loki
05-14-2005, 02:27 AM
CIA drone said to kill al-Qaida operative
Predator strike in Pakistan fells al-Yemeni
A CIA drone has killed al-Qaida operative Haitham al-Yemeni in the remote northwest part of Pakistan where other members of the militant group are believed to be hiding, NBC News has confirmed.
A U.S. official confirmed that al-Yemeni is a senior al-Qaida member.
"The debate was over whether to hit him individually or wait until he was part of a bigger group," NBC analyst Roger Cressey reported. There was no clarification if the actual strike was against just al-Yemeni or targeted a gathering of suspected militants.
Information leading to the hit is thought to be connected to the recent capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described as al-Qaida's No. 3, in northwest Pakistan on May 2.
The CIA said Friday it would not confirm, deny or comment in any way on the operation. Pakistan denied any such missile strike had occurred.
However, sources told NBC News that the CIA has all the approvals necessary within its counterterror center in Langley, Va., to fire missiles within Pakistan when an al-Qaida target is spotted. The agency does not have to check with the White House or with Pakistani authorities or the CIA director. The purpose is to expedite rapid action in the field in case the opportunity is time sensitive.
Several times in recent months, Predators have been used to fire at suspected militant targets, including sites described as training camps inside Pakistan territory. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied to NBC News that any such incident had taken place on Pakistani soil within the last week.
Predator strike in Pakistan fells al-Yemeni
A CIA drone has killed al-Qaida operative Haitham al-Yemeni in the remote northwest part of Pakistan where other members of the militant group are believed to be hiding, NBC News has confirmed.
A U.S. official confirmed that al-Yemeni is a senior al-Qaida member.
"The debate was over whether to hit him individually or wait until he was part of a bigger group," NBC analyst Roger Cressey reported. There was no clarification if the actual strike was against just al-Yemeni or targeted a gathering of suspected militants.
Information leading to the hit is thought to be connected to the recent capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described as al-Qaida's No. 3, in northwest Pakistan on May 2.
The CIA said Friday it would not confirm, deny or comment in any way on the operation. Pakistan denied any such missile strike had occurred.
However, sources told NBC News that the CIA has all the approvals necessary within its counterterror center in Langley, Va., to fire missiles within Pakistan when an al-Qaida target is spotted. The agency does not have to check with the White House or with Pakistani authorities or the CIA director. The purpose is to expedite rapid action in the field in case the opportunity is time sensitive.
Several times in recent months, Predators have been used to fire at suspected militant targets, including sites described as training camps inside Pakistan territory. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed denied to NBC News that any such incident had taken place on Pakistani soil within the last week.