Drone Kills Al-Qaeda Leader Anwar al-Awlaki

Reuters
Erik Hayden 1,950 Views Sep 30, 2011

Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born al-Qaeda leader described by The New York Times as one of the group's "top operational planners," has been reportedly killed along with other members, according to Yemen and U.S. officials cited in multiple reports. Although all the details don't seem available yet, an unmanned drone air strike in Yemen was cited by Reuters, the Times and the Associated Press in their accounts of his death. The Wall Street Journal offers a specific time and location for the strike: 

Mr. Awlaki, who has been on the run and hiding in Yemen's remote tribal highlands for years, was killed at approximately 9:55 a.m. local time outside a village in the northeastern province of Jawf, according to an official familiar with the situation.

ABC News' Jake Tapper spoke with a senior administration official who says that officials had almost acted on this year's anniversary of 9/11. "We waited, but it never materialized," the U.S. official said. Tapper also explains why few of the details have materialized: "Out of deference to the Yemeni government, U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about the precise role the U.S. played, though the Yemeni military does not possess the kind of predator drone said to have killed Awlaki."

Update: Samir Khan, the guy who produced the al-Qaeda magazine Inspire, was also killed in the attack, reported the Associated Press.

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