[Washington Post] U.S. missiles killed more than a dozen people in northwestern Pakistain early Monday in a strike that apparently was aimed at al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader, the charismatic and influential jihadist known as Abu Yahya al-Libi, U.S. and Pak officials said.The terrorist commander's fate remained unclear late in the day, amid a swirl of rumors inside Pakistain that the longtime deputy to the late Osama bin Laden
... who doesn't live anywhere anymore...
had been badly maimed or perhaps killed in the strike. Libi's death, if confirmed, would represent one of the biggest successes against al-Qaeda since bin Laden was killed by Navy SEALs 13 months ago.
Al-Qaeda's defeat is "within reach," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993....
said Saturday during a visit to Afghanistan. He said eliminating as few as 10 of the group's top figures could cripple its ability to strike the West. (July 9)
"This would be a major blow to 'core' al-Qaeda, removing the No. 2 leader twice in less than a year," said a senior U.S. official with access to classified reports from Pakistain, where officials from both countries were working to ascertain Libi's fate.