This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/world/middleeast/drone-strike-kills-senior-al-qaeda-leader.html
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Senior Al Qaeda Leader Killed in Drone Strike | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — A senior official of Al Qaeda was killed on Sunday in Syria by a United States drone strike, an American official said on Wednesday. | |
| The terrorist leader, Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, 59, was the second-ranking official after Ayman al-Zawahri and was a son-in-law to Al Qaeda’s founder, Osama bin Laden. | The terrorist leader, Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, 59, was the second-ranking official after Ayman al-Zawahri and was a son-in-law to Al Qaeda’s founder, Osama bin Laden. |
| Jihadist social media carried reports of the attack on Sunday, including photographs of the vehicle purportedly struck by the drone. The strike was said to have taken place in Idlib Province in northwest Syria, where the Pentagon stepped up airstrikes against top Qaeda operatives in the last two months, killing several important figures. | |
| Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on the war in Syria, said in an email that the death of Mr. Masri was the most significant blow to Al Qaeda’s global network since the killing of Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Al Qaeda’s No. 2 official at the time, in a drone strike in Yemen in June 2015. | Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and an expert on the war in Syria, said in an email that the death of Mr. Masri was the most significant blow to Al Qaeda’s global network since the killing of Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Al Qaeda’s No. 2 official at the time, in a drone strike in Yemen in June 2015. |
| Mr. Masri was “jihadi royalty, meaning his death will almost certainly necessitate some form of response, whether from Syria or elsewhere in the world,” Mr. Lister said. | Mr. Masri was “jihadi royalty, meaning his death will almost certainly necessitate some form of response, whether from Syria or elsewhere in the world,” Mr. Lister said. |
| The killing of the Qaeda leader was previously reported by CNN and The Guardian. It was confirmed by an American official who declined to be identified because he was discussing classified intelligence reports | The killing of the Qaeda leader was previously reported by CNN and The Guardian. It was confirmed by an American official who declined to be identified because he was discussing classified intelligence reports |
| Photographs of the vehicle Mr. Masri was said to be traveling in when attacked reveal unusual details for such a strike: The vehicle sustained no major explosive damage, but a projectile clearly struck it directly through the car roof. This suggests the precision strike was either a dud or the United States deliberately used an inert warhead to kill its target by high-velocity impact, avoiding possible civilian casualties with an explosive warhead. | Photographs of the vehicle Mr. Masri was said to be traveling in when attacked reveal unusual details for such a strike: The vehicle sustained no major explosive damage, but a projectile clearly struck it directly through the car roof. This suggests the precision strike was either a dud or the United States deliberately used an inert warhead to kill its target by high-velocity impact, avoiding possible civilian casualties with an explosive warhead. |
| An Egyptian, Mr. Masri real’s name was Abdullah Muhammad Rajab Abd al-Rahman. A veteran of jihadist conflicts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt and Pakistan, he was a longtime member of Al Qaeda’s highly secretive Shura Council, and he was the terrorist group’s key intermediary with its affiliates and other jihadist groups across the world, Mr. Lister said. | |
| His marriage to one of Bin Laden’s daughters placed him at the center of Al Qaeda’s hierarchy, and American counterterrorism officials believe he was directly involved in the 1998 bombing of American embassies in East Africa that killed more than 200 people. | |
| After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Masri fled to Iran, where he was reportedly put under house arrest along with other senior Qaeda leaders, including Saif al-Adel, the group’s strategic military chief. He was let go by the Iranians in March 2015 along with other Qaeda figures in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who had been kidnapped in Yemen by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Masri fled to Iran, where he was reportedly put under house arrest along with other senior Qaeda leaders, including Saif al-Adel, the group’s strategic military chief. He was let go by the Iranians in March 2015 along with other Qaeda figures in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who had been kidnapped in Yemen by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. |
| Since then, Mr. Masri had operated in Syria as Al Qaeda’s deputy leader, providing orders and advice to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the Qaeda affiliate in Syria formerly known as the Nusra Front, and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, Mr. Lister said. | Since then, Mr. Masri had operated in Syria as Al Qaeda’s deputy leader, providing orders and advice to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the Qaeda affiliate in Syria formerly known as the Nusra Front, and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, Mr. Lister said. |
| Al Qaeda and the Islamic State both operate in Syria. While the Islamic State has its roots in Al Qaeda’s franchise in Iraq, the two terrorist groups split and are now rivals in Syria. The Islamic State has carved out its self-proclaimed caliphate in the eastern part of the country, based in Raqqa. Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria is in the northwest and north-central part of the country, centered around Idlib. | Al Qaeda and the Islamic State both operate in Syria. While the Islamic State has its roots in Al Qaeda’s franchise in Iraq, the two terrorist groups split and are now rivals in Syria. The Islamic State has carved out its self-proclaimed caliphate in the eastern part of the country, based in Raqqa. Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria is in the northwest and north-central part of the country, centered around Idlib. |
| The United States and its allies have mostly focused on conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, and on supporting a coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters on the ground. American airstrikes against Qaeda targets in Syria only increased in the past two months. | |
| In 2005, the United States Treasury Department described Mr. Masri as a Qaeda associate and said that he “was responsible for coordinating Al Qaeda’s work with other terrorist organizations.” | In 2005, the United States Treasury Department described Mr. Masri as a Qaeda associate and said that he “was responsible for coordinating Al Qaeda’s work with other terrorist organizations.” |
| The drone strike against Mr. Masri came about a month after an Air Force B-52 bomber carried out a punishing airstrike against a training camp of Al Qaeda in Syria, which the Pentagon said killed about 100 militants. | The drone strike against Mr. Masri came about a month after an Air Force B-52 bomber carried out a punishing airstrike against a training camp of Al Qaeda in Syria, which the Pentagon said killed about 100 militants. |
| That attack, which also included armed drones, was directed at the Shaykh Sulayman Training Camp in Idlib. Pentagon officials said it had been in operation for several years but had only recently become a base for “core Al Qaeda” extremists, who have largely come from outside Syria to fight and plot attacks. All told, 14 bombs and missiles were used in that attack. | That attack, which also included armed drones, was directed at the Shaykh Sulayman Training Camp in Idlib. Pentagon officials said it had been in operation for several years but had only recently become a base for “core Al Qaeda” extremists, who have largely come from outside Syria to fight and plot attacks. All told, 14 bombs and missiles were used in that attack. |
| The Pentagon disclosed in January that it also carried out an airstrike in Idlib Province that killed Mohammad Habib Boussadoun al-Tunisi, described as a Qaeda leader linked to plots against Western targets. | |
| Mr. Boussadoun went to Syria in 2014 after spending several years in Europe and other countries in the Middle East where he maintained ties with extremists, according to a Pentagon statement. Earlier in January, airstrikes killed two other Qaeda leaders, the Pentagon said. | Mr. Boussadoun went to Syria in 2014 after spending several years in Europe and other countries in the Middle East where he maintained ties with extremists, according to a Pentagon statement. Earlier in January, airstrikes killed two other Qaeda leaders, the Pentagon said. |