Key al-Qaeda figure killed in Pakistan
Ap, Islamabad
One of al-Qaeda's top five leaders, said to be responsible for planning overseas strikes, was killed by Pakistani security forces in a rocket attack near the Afghan border with US help, American and Pakistani officials said Saturday. Hamza Rabia, a key associate of al-Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, died Thursday in an explosion in the North Waziristan tribal area, and his remains were identified in DNA tests, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. Two US counterterrorism officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, confirmed Rabia's death but would not elaborate on the circumstances. The officials said Rabia was believed to be an Egyptian and head of al-Qaeda's foreign operations, possibly as senior as the No. 3 official in the terrorist group. That would put him in a tier just below Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahri.
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