This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7339324.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Al-Qaeda leader al-Masri 'dead' Al-Qaeda leader al-Masri 'dead'
(40 minutes later)
Abu Obaida al-Masri, the militant chief believed to be a senior planner of al-Qaeda's attacks in Afghanistan, has died, US intelligence sources say. Abu Obaidah al-Masri, the militant chief believed to be a senior planner of al-Qaeda's attacks in Afghanistan, has died, US intelligence sources say.
They said they believed Masri - linked to suicide bombers who killed 52 people in attacks on London's transport system in 2005 - died of "natural causes". They said they believed Masri, a major operational figure within al-Qaeda linked to attacks on the UK and elsewhere, died of "natural causes".
"The sense is that he is dead," a US official said."The sense is that he is dead," a US official said.
The unnamed official described Masri, an Egyptian, as "a major operational figure" within al-Qaeda's hierarchy. A US official told AP that Masri had apparently died of hepatitis "within the last several months".
Masri was believed to be the mastermind of attacks on US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan's volatile eastern region.
Village attacks
But he was such a mysterious figure that even his real name was a carefully veiled secret - Abu Obaidah al-Masri is an Arabic nom de guerre meaning "Father of Obaidah the Egyptian".
Masri had escaped at least two assassination attempts in the past.
Pakistani officials reported he had been killed in a 2006 missile strike on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border.
They later said he had not been in the village at the time of the attack.
Another missile attack on a different Pakistani village later in 2006 also missed its target.