AL-QAEDA’S third-in-command has been killed by a drone strike in Pakistan’s lawless border region, according to a statement by the organisation posted on Islamist websites.
The death of Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, also known as Sheikh Saeed al-Mazri, was confirmed yesterday by American and Pakistani intelligence sources.
His death in the Islamist haven of North Waziristan is a high-profile success for America’s growing use of unmanned drones, although analysts doubted that it would have an impact on al-Qaeda’s ability to launch attacks.
“We have strong reason to believe that al-Masri was killed recently in Pakistan’s tribal areas,” a US official in Washington said on condition of anonymity. “In terms of counterterrorism, this would be a big victory.”
Islamist websites said that he was killed on May 21st, when a CIA drone targeted the home of a tribesman about 15 miles from Miranshah, North Waziristan’s main town.
The region’s rugged, inhospitable terrain has made it a favourite refuge of militants.
Previous reports of his death have later been proven false but this is the first time al-Qaeda has confirmed such claims.
The Egyptian-born militant – one of the founders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which merged with other groups to form al-Qaeda – was thought to be the network’s organisational commander in Afghanistan, allowing Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to keep a low profile and evade detection.
A security official in Islamabad said Pakistan intelligence services had also collected evidence of his death. However, he added that previous commanders had been rapidly replaced without upsetting operations.
“While the numbers one and two keep themselves very well hidden, the number three has to be mobile and visible, directing operations,” he said on condition of anonymity.
“So there will be another number three. Yes, it will be a blow to the leadership but does it mean they will start scaling down their operations? No.”
Yazid served as al-Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan and as its “chief financial officer” as well, according to the US 9-11 commission.
As chief financier, he was responsible for disbursing al-Qaeda funds, making him one of the most trusted and important leaders of the group – as well as a conduit to bin Laden.
This latest high-profile death is an illustration of how the CIA has stepped up the scale of unmanned aerial drone attacks, targeting not only high-level al-Qaeda and Taliban targets but foot soldiers.
Pakistan is under increasing pressure from the US to launch military operations in North Waziristan to flush out militants who cross the porous Afghan border at will.
In the past two years, the region has seen several Pakistani jihadi groups join forces in training camps, often under the leadership of Yazid, according to Imtiaz Gul, an author who has travelled extensively through the region.
“He was providing the inspiration and the guidance to more and more people,” he said. “That’s why this dangerous combination of militants was becoming more deadly.
“But they share a common denominator – an anti-US, global jihad, and this ideology will hold them together beyond his death.”
The Pakistan army yesterday announced that it was winding up its offensive in the Orakzai region, which it called a success.