Another al Qaeda leader greeted by Hellfire
Image via WikipediaIlyas Kashmiri, a guerilla leader in Indian Kashmir who was recently appointed to the al-Qaeda shura, was believed to have died with eight other militants when a US drone fired three missiles into a compound around midnight in north-western Pakistan.The BBC reports:
The attack in Shawangai village, 7 kilometres north of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, which is one of seven Pakistani tribal districts along Afghan border, demolished parts of the compound.
"Ilyas Kashmiri had come to the compound two days ago. He was here when the attack took place and today his funeral was performed at Ghundai graveyard at 11:30," a resident said on Saturday, and a low-ranking Taliban commander confirmed the statement. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Kashmiri was the chief of the Harkatul Jihad al-Islami, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, and its offshoot 313 Brigade, which is believed responsible for a raid on Pakistan's naval aviation base in southern port city of Karachi on May 22.
That attack killed 10 troops and destroyed two aircraft.
He was also alleged to be the mastermind behind an attack on the US consulate that killed four people in 2006.
Kashmiri's name was on the lisst of five terrorists that the US government wanted Islamabad to capture or kill within two months, according to an ABC News report. That deadline was issued during US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's talks with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad on Friday.
Taliban chief Mullah Omar and al-Qaeda senior leader Ayman al Zawahiri are also included in the list, ABC said.
A security official said the compound attacked by a US drone on Friday belonged to local commander Halimullah of the Mualvi Nazir group.
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...He has been reported killed before so there is some caution, before getting confirmation. Pakistan had good reason to help the US find this guy. They still have four more to go on the list Sec. Clinton gave them.
He is so senior within al-Qaeda that his name had been mentioned as a possible successor to Osama Bin Laden....
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Al Qaeda has to be suffering from the decapitation strikes. It may be harder to get people to accept promotions, and who is going to be around to promote them?
It is likely a Reaper drone was used in the attack since the report indicates three missiles were fired into the compound and the Predators only carry two. The photo above is a Reaper.
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