An al Qaeda figure identified as the terrorist network's chief of operations in Pakistan has been killed, U.S. officials reported Thursday.
Abu Hafs al-Shahri helped coordinate anti-American plots in the region and "worked closely" with Pakistani Taliban operatives to carry out attacks there, a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN. His cause of death was not disclosed, but the United States frequently uses armed aerial drones to target al Qaeda operatives inside Pakistan.
Al-Shahri was seen as a possible successor to al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiyah Abdul Rahman, who was killed in late August, the official said. |